Street Links
by Kiyomisa
Summary: In a city precariously balanced between the OZ mafia and the Chang clan, down on his luck Quatre finds himself drawn into the dangerous life of a freelance mercenary. 2x4, 1x3, 13x6, DxR
1. Chapter 1

"This is not the best idea I've ever had," Quatre muttered bitterly to himself, curling as tightly as he could under an overhang to avoid the rain. The alley was narrow and dark, and slightly smelly. The rain was depressing and cold.

The little blonde knew that if he went home, his father would welcome him; then he'd be warm again. His stomach gave an indignant pleading growl. _And fed too_, he added, curling even tighter.

But…he couldn't go home. To do so would be like admitting defeat, and he couldn't do that. He might be mild-mannered and easy-going, but he still had his pride.

It had been eight months since he had run away, telling his family that he didn't need to use their money, he could do fine on his own. But for some unfathomable reason, he couldn't hold a small stupid job long enough to pay rent and he found himself living on the streets, using whatever money he had to buy food.

Footsteps approached him, maybe three or four people. Quatre scooted as far back into the shadows as he could, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't find him. He knew self-defense very well, but he couldn't take on more than two people without a weapon.

"Hey, brat!"

Quatre winced inwardly as he glared up at the speaker. The man wasn't very large, but his muscle-clad arms looked wiry and dangerous. "Don't ya know you're in Tazer Territory?"

Quatre remained quiet, his depressed temper not letting him think of a proper reply.

"If ya wanna plant your carcass on our street, it's gonna cost ya," the man continued, smiling unpleasantly.

"Do I look like I have money?" Quatre inquired mildly.

The man shook his head and glanced at his two companions. "That's a shame. Guess we'll have to teach 'im a lesson." The three men began closing in and Quatre reacted quickly, kicking out ferociously at one man's knee and dashing for it. While the man cried out in pain, there wasn't much power in the blow and Quatre felt iron fingers grasp his arm. He twisted and pulled, but he couldn't break loose.

Someone punched him soundly in the stomach and he doubled up in pain, unable to breathe.

"Ha! Not so high n' mighty now, are ya?" The question was punctuated with a heavy blow to his cheek.

Three gunshots rang out and the men dropped Quatre to grasp various wounds. With a strangled cry the leader ordered a retreat and they stumbled away as best they could. Quatre coughed and closed his eyes against the pain that shot through his head as he hit the pavement. His cheek was stinging and his stomach throbbed achingly. Someone, the one who had, Quatre guessed, fired the gun, jogged over to him and knelt down to inspect his injuries.

"Damn bastards. They know this is Chang territory. They're lucky I found 'em first. Hey, you okay?" The voice was deep and rich, soothing and strong.

Quatre nodded minutely, still gasping for air. The person snorted disbelievingly. "You must be tougher than you look. What're you doing out so late at night?"

Quatre gingerly pushed himself up. "Nowhere else to go," he replied quietly, looking at his rescuer for the first time. It was a young man, near Quatre's own age, with a long chestnut braid and the most striking violet eyes. He was dressed entirely in black, casual shirt and pants. His clothes clung to him, soaked from the rain, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Hmm…so you need a place to stay hunh?"

Quatre blinked. That hadn't been the reaction he'd expected. "Well, yes…"

The young man smiled. "You can stay with me."

"But I don't even know you," Quatre blurted. "Not to be ungrateful," he hastily added.

The smile just grew. "Name's Duo, what's yours?"

"Quatre."

"Well, Quatre, sleeping outside in this town is dangerous, even in Chang territory. Besides, I could use a partner to help pay the rent." His eyes were shining warmly and his smile was entrancing. "And if you don't want to live with me, you can at least stay for one night."

Quatre's stomach grumbled and Duo's smile widened. "And get some food in you."

Quatre couldn't help but smile back, but he still held misgivings. "Why are you doing this?"

Something flashed through those violet eyes, something dark and hard. " 'Cause I know what it's like ta be on your own with no food, roof or money." He held out his hand and grinned again. "How 'bout it?"

Quatre gnawed at his lower lip nervously. What if Duo wanted him to pay rent some other way besides money? Like…sexual pleasure and stuff…he blushed brightly just thinking about it, and he glanced uncertainly at the young man again. His smile was open and kind, and his violet eyes seemed to hold nothing but friendship.

"All right…" the blonde answered, placing his hand firmly in Duo's.

Duo's apartment wasn't glamorous, hell it wasn't even nice, but it was mostly warm and it was dry. It consisted of three rooms, bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. Each room was sparse, but comfortable in a semi-cluttered way. The kitchen was mostly clean, except for the table littered with empty instant-ramen packets and a sink with a small pile of dishes. It looked as though Duo didn't have more than two or three utensils bowls and plates.

The bathroom was also mostly clean, the sink covered haphazardly in toilette items. A single towel and washcloth were swung carelessly over the rungs. It smelled faintly of…honeydew and Quatre spied a small green scented candle on the edge of the tub.

The bedroom was furnished with one queen-sized bed, layered with dozens of pillows and body-pillows that seemed to form a cozy-looking nest on one corner, against the walls. A small, battered looking TV sat on an equally battered-looking dresser, and a bookshelf filled with various comics, mangas and an assorted number of books stood against the other wall, some laying on their side, and others leaning precariously. One corner of the room was a pile of clothes, presumably Duo's laundry "hamper".

Duo rummaged in the dresser for a moment and tossed a large shirt and a pair of sweatpants to Quatre. "Here, so you don't have to stay in those wet clothes. You can change in the bathroom."

The blonde took the clothes and shut himself in the bathroom, pulling his wet clothes off and shivering slightly as his cool skin came in contact with warmer air. He pulled the sweatpants on, taking a moment to revel in their softness after the wet khaki that had been chaffing his legs.

When he pulled on the large T-shirt, which had a faded kitten with a happy-looking bird between it's paws, he paused. _This shirt smells…like him I guess…kind of spicey, like hot cider…_ Shaking his head, Quatre spread his wet clothes out to dry on the shower door and stepped out to look for his rescuer.

The braided youth was already changed and in the kitchen.

"It's not much," Duo said to the blonde as he shoved the empty ramen bags into an almost over-flowing trashcan. "But it's better than that alleyway you were in."

Quatre nodded silently and wandered back into the bedroom, his curiosity getting the better of him. He began to peruse the books on the bookshelf.

"Battering Rams to Trebuchets: A guide to Medieval Siege Engines," he read, and picked the book up to flip through the pages. He already knew much of the information inside of it, but the diagrams of formations, tactics and blueprints still gripped his interest. Smiling, but still curious, Quatre placed the book back on the shelf and continued to scan titles. "Anime and Those who Watch it, Myths and Legends, Way of the Vikings, Movies of the Twentieth Century, How to Make Your…Own…Sex-Toys?" Quatre read the last title disbelievingly, feeling his face warm.

"Is Ramen okay with you, Quatre?" Duo called again, noises of a pot being readied coming from the next room.

"Uh, yes please," Quatre called back, a bit proud of the fact that he sounded completely calm. Duo said something back, but the blonde wasn't paying any attention. His curiosity was getting to him again. Before he knew it, he'd pulled the book off the shelf and was flipping through it.

The book was quite fascinating, as it not only told how to make the toys, but what they were for, and some interesting new ways to use them. He was reading the part about sewing false fur onto bands of leather to make comfortable bondage straps when Duo came in to announce that dinner was ready.

Quatre blushed and fumbled with the book, almost dropping it. Duo reached out to steady it, one hand coming to rest over Quatre's. "Careful there!" The brunette caught sight of the title and grinned, if a little sheepishly. "Ah, you discovered one of my hobbies. Fascinating, isn't it?" He winked at the blonde as he took the book and placed it back on the shelf.

Quatre blushed some more, looking off to the side. He said, quite lowly, "I-wouldn't know."

Duo chuckled and headed back to the kitchen. "Not having any experience doesn't mean it can't be fascinating. But anyway, I've got hot ramen waiting for us!"

Dinner was a pleasant affair as the two young men got to know each other. Common interests were found, and teasing was had, though mostly on Duo's part.

"So what do you do, for a living?" Quatre asked during a lull in the conversation.

"Oh this and that. I'm really a Jack-of-all-trades mercenary type."

"You'll do anything if the price is right?" Quatre teased a little.

Duo shook his head and sat back in his chair. "Naw, I'm not stupid. There are some things you just don't do. 'Specially in Chang territory."

Quatre cocked his head to one side. "What do you mean, 'Chang territory'?"

Duo gaped at him for a moment, but he soon realized the blonde really didn't know. He shook his head, making his long braid swing a little. "Man it's a good thing I found you if you don't even know that."

Quatre blushed a little and frowned at him, his eyebrows drawing in cutely. But he didn't say anything and Duo continued his explanation. "The Changs are a very, old, family. Kinda aristocrats. It's them that are in charge 'round here, no one else."

"What about the police?"

Duo scoffed. "Police? Listen buddy, the police 'round here are only government-paid bullies. The Changs keep 'em in order for the most part though, keep 'em from pickin' on the little people too bad. They're powerful, but pretty cool, far as that kinda thing goes. They protect a lot of small businesses n' families."

Quatre made a face. "Protection rackets?"

Again Duo shook his head. "No. They're strong believers in 'justice'," Duo laughed a little as if he found the idea rather silly, "it's just that their idea of justice is different from those totalitarian bastards in the government."

"Ah." Quatre wrapped his hands around his warm mug of decaf coffee and tried to absorb all the young man had told him. He didn't even notice Duo studying him carefully.

"You're either not from around here, or you led a very sheltered life," he remarked after a while.

Quatre smiled, but it was wry and a little bitter. "A bit of both actually."

Bitterness didn't suit the kawaii blonde, Duo decided, so the brunette stood up and stretched to break the tension before it really began. "Well, you're here now, and now you know. And it's late, we should go to bed."

Quatre nodded and finished his coffee.

"I'd offer you the couch," Duo began, dumping his dishes in the sink, "but I don't have one, and if I did, I don't have any extra blankets."

His guest looked at him curiously. "You don't have company much, do you?"

Duo flashed him another brilliant grin; Quatre was becoming quite familiar with them. "Nope! So unless you have massive complaints, we'll share the bed."

Quatre stayed silent, trying to fight down the blush he could feel growing on his cheeks. Duo noticed. "Don't worry, we can put a body-pillow between us so I don't accidentally glomp you in my sleep. I do tend to cling to things."

"A-all right." Quatre felt a bit better at this offer, but he was still nervous.

Duo hummed a bit as he finished clearing the table, but he wouldn't let Quatre help. Then he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth before leaving it for Quatre to use while he settled into the bed. Quatre used his finger to brush his teeth, glad to finally be able to use toothpaste after days of plaque building up in his mouth. Then he washed his hands and entered the bedroom nervously.

He'd never had to share a bed before…and in his few weeks on the street he'd learned quickly of men and women picking up strays, demanding sex in return for room in board. _Stop that!_ he ordered himself mentally. _You already decided that Duo wasn't like that, remember?_

Duo was already in the bed, curled up between the wall and the body pillow, snoring softly. The nervous fluttering in Quatre's stomach died down. "Stupid, what made you think he was even _interested_ in guys?" the blonde berated himself as he approached the bed.

Duo actually looked rather enchanting curled up like that, with the end of his braid clutched protectively in his fist. Quatre shook his head. "Stop that! Next you'll _want_ him to seduce you! Just go to bed!"

And he took his advice, climbing into the bed carefully so as not to disturb his sleeping host. When he was settled, Quatre reached over and turned off the light, but it was a while before he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Duo isn't a bubble head and Quatre isn't a crybaby, so there!

Duo was just waking from a dream, and started to move when he became aware of another body on the other side of his pillow. _Oh, that's right, Quatre,_ he thought, yawning and opening his eyes. When he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, he became further aware of his left arm trapped under the weight of his guest. Yawning again Duo used his free hand to rub at his eyes and turned on his side so he could view Quatre more closely.

The blonde was snuggled into the body pillow, holding it as if it were a lover, and his hair was tousled messily so parts were sticking up. He looked a lot younger, less guarded in his sleep, and Duo wondered how a kid like him had ended up on the street, because he was too healthy and clean to have been there long. Not to mention he hadn't known who the Changs were which was doubly intriguing.

"Who are you?" Duo murmured sleepily, reaching out to brush some hair back from Quatre's eyes. The blonde grumbled and shifted, half-opening his eyes.

"Mnh?"

"Morning," Duo said.

Quatre closed his eyes again and turned his face into the pillow. "Nnnnh."

"Right, too early to get up," Duo said in agreement and curled up into the pillow like Quatre. He tried not to smile as felt Quatre pull away slightly to study him. He mentally began to count the seconds until Quatre spoke.

"Umm...Duo?"

_Sixteen, you _are _polite._ "Mmm?"

"...Don't you have your own pillow?"

Duo cracked an eye open. "This _is_ my pillow."

He was rewarded with a bright blush. "Oh right, I'm sorry."

"I was just teasing man," Duo laughed and sat up. "I'm the one who should be sorry. My personal bubble is non-existent compared to other people."

To his relief Quatre laughed and relaxed. He liked the small blonde, though he'd only known him one day.

"No, it's all right...I was just a little jumpy..."

Duo frowned in confusion for a moment before he caught on. "You mean you were afraid I'd try ta jump your bones."

That entertaining blush intensified and Duo finding himself enjoying it more by the moment.

"Yes..." Quatre admitted, obviously ashamed and embarrassed for jumping to such conclusions.

"Well don't worry, I won't jump you," he paused, then added as an after thought, "unless you want me to." Duo grinned suggestively.

Quatre's blush increased even more, but though his answering smile was somewhat shy, it was also sexy as hell, and Duo wondered if he'd promised prematurely.

"If I want you to, I'll let you know."

Duo laughed. "All right it's a deal. C'mon, let's go have breakfast."

"I still don't know how I'm gonna pay you back for this," Quatre said as he climbed out of the bed.

"Especially now that sex is out of the question," Duo teased, already halfway to the kitchen.

"Duuuooo!" Quatre wailed as he followed.

It was strange; Duo, even with his outgoing personality, didn't normally start this level of teasing so soon. It was just...that blush was so much fun! And Quatre didn't really seem to mind.

Duo was not the best of cooks, and since it was still soon after waking up, greasy food was too heavy, so down came a box of KIX, two bowls and the sugar-tin.

Quatre accepted his bowl with a mock scowl, which was immediately ruined by a large yawn. Duo chuckled as he got out the milk and sat down lazily, filling his bowl till the point of over-flowing and carpeting the KIX with sugar. He noticed Quatre staring at his bowl. "What?"

"That's going to get all over the table," the blond pointed out, filing his own bowl more moderately.

"Nah, I always do this," Duo replied, digging in. Little yellow sugarcoated puffs scattered over the table. "See?" he quipped while Quatre politely covered his mouth to hide his smirk. Quatre rolled his eyes and began eating his own unsweetened cereal.

"You're not gonna put sugar on it?" Duo asked as if Quatre had forgotten to put pants on.

Quatre shook his head. "No, it's sweet enough the way it is."

Duo stared at him. "But-that's so..._plain_."

Quatre raised an eyebrow at him and bit down on the spoon archly. His expression of injured dignity was so comical that Duo sputtered and some milk joined the KIX on the table. Quatre laughed at that and soon the two were laughing uproariously.

"Ah...I haven't laughed so much in a long time. You're good to have around kid."

Quatre immediately stopped laughing and glared at him. Duo stopped laughing too and blinked.

"I'm _not_ a _kid_," Quatre said tersely.

Duo studied him carefully, taking in the blonde's small stature and wide, innocent blue eyes, and couldn't imagine him to be older than fourteen. Still, Duo wasn't the best judge of age; he was usually off by a couple of years. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," Quatre replied.

Duo couldn't stop the small scoff from escaping his lips, and Quatre narrowed his eyes angrily at him. He suddenly stood up and darted into the bathroom.

"Quatre?"

There was no answer, but the blond was soon back, holding something in his hand. With an unreadable expression, he tossed the object onto the table in front of Duo, scattering the KIX like sand on ice.

Duo stared. It was a driver's license. He picked it up and the date told him that Quatre was born the same year he was, and was nineteen, almost twenty. Then he noticed the name.

"Holy shit, you're Quatre Winner!" he yelped, jumping up and looking back and forth between the card and his guest. Quatre paled so quickly Duo thought he might faint as he snatched the card back, shoving it in his pocket.

"What the fuck are you doing out here!? The newspapers say you've been kidnapped. Your family's offering a huge reward for anyone who finds you!"

If it hadn't been physically impossible, Duo would've sworn Quatre got even paler. "You're not going to turn me in are you?" Quatre asked, his knuckles going white and his voice trembling ever so slightly. He looked terrified.

"You weren't kidnapped, were you?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, I ran away."

Anger flashed through Duo. How could anyone want to hurt this boy-guy? He'd reached out and grabbed Quatre's arm before he realized what he was doing. "What did they do to you?" he demanded harshly.

Blue eyes widened at him. "Wha-? Oh no! My family didn't _hurt _me. Just the opposite in fact," he finished quietly, looking down and away from Duo's fierce gaze.

Duo felt that maybe he should remove his hand, but found he didn't want to. The best he could do was loosen his grip and he suddenly hoped he hadn't bruised the fragile-looking guy. Then again, the blonde hadn't bruised much from the beating he'd gotten last night; he was much tougher than he looked.

"Meaning?" Duo asked, his voice softer and gentler than it had been a moment ago.

Quatre still wouldn't look at him, but could see him wrinkling his nose. "They coddled me. They wouldn't let me do anything for myself. My father wanted me to just sit back and inherit the fortune he'd built up from scratch. I didn't want to do that...I wanted to make my own way."

Duo snickered cynically. "No offense, but it didn't look like you were doing too good a job."

Quatre slumped and blushed a bit. "No," he admitted, "I wasn't."

"Why'd you let it get so far? Why didn't you go home before you ended up on the street?" Duo couldn't understand it. Why would anyone give up a soft bed to go starving on the cold, perilous streets?

Quatre laughed, though it seemed hollow. "And admit that I was wrong? That I really _can't_ do anything on my own? I couldn't stand it...I know it sounds stupid, to starve for pride..."

Duo shook his head. "Well, yeah, it's stupid...but noble in a kinda way. People have no honor these days."

Quatre finally looked at him and his expression was half gratitude and skeptical. "_You_ have honor?"

Duo grinned, not at all offended. "I have my own special Duo Code. But what about you? Why'd you accept _my_ help?"

Quatre shifted and blushed. "I'm not so proud to refuse help when I need it."

"Just from your dad," Duo added, making the blonde laugh. He was glad Quatre was relaxed again. It just didn't seem right to see the guy unhappy. Duo moved from holding Quatre's arm to slinging an arm around the smaller guy's shoulder and giving a squeeze.

"Well you can stay with me as long as you want."

There was that pleasant blush again. "I couldn't possibly impose-"

"Don't worry 'bout it," Duo cut him off. "You need a place to stay, I've got one. And I like you."

"But-" Quatre began but Duo cut him off again.

"If you're worried 'bout owing me, you can probably help out on some of my jobs. What can you do?"

Quatre blinked, as if he hadn't been asked that before. "Well...I'm good with numbers and computers, I guess."

"How are you at reading people? Like, knowing what they'd do and stuff?"

Quatre shrugged. "It depends on the person of course, but I'd say I'm decent at it. Give me half an hour talking with them and I'd probably have quite a bit."

Duo squeezed him again. "Excellent, welcome aboard. Oh, d'you know how to use a gun?"

Quatre nodded. "Father made sure I knew how, in case anyone _did_ try to kidnap me."

"Didn't you bring one with you?"

"I pawned it for food."

"A'ight, rule one 'bout this town, always carry a gun. It's dangerous out there."

Quatre nodded, a little wide-eyed.

"Don't worry, I've got an extra ninety-nine you can use for now," Duo told him. "And you'll be with me," he added with a grin.

Quatre smiled back and his stomach grumbled, calling to their attention that they had stopped eating breakfast.

"Aw man! Now it's gonna be all soggy!" Duo complained as he went back to his bowl. Quatre laughed and sat back down as well.

AN: All right, so it's moving kinda slow, don't worry, I've got a bit written so it won't be too long before things pick up -


	3. Chapter 3

Later that morning Duo took Quatre out to an empty lot for shooting practice. "Don't worry 'bout the noise, no one'll call it in," Duo said as he set up some cans on a few cinderblocks and the wooden fence.

"Why not?"  
"Because they don't care anymore. Death's too often a visitor." Duo's voice was quieter, and he stared at the empty can in his hand for a moment, lost in thought.

Quatre was concerned, but didn't know what he could say, so he waited silently for the brunette to snap himself back. It didn't take too long and Duo set the can down and trotted back to Quatre. His grin was back, if not up to its full force.

"All right, let's see what you got."

"Okay." Quatre raised the pistol evenly and fired at the targets. He hit five of them on the first try, and three on the second. He lowered the gun again, a frown marring his forehead. "Damn, I didn't used to take so long to aim"

Duo laughed and threw an arm around his shoulder. "That's all right. You're not up to my level, but at least you'll survive."

"Gee thanks. It has been a while since I've fired one of these." Quatre defended himself, quite aware of the warmth from Duo's arm. But it was a pleasant, comfortable sensation and he thought no more of it, deciding to enjoy it while it lasted. "Hey, I'm glad you're on my side! I'll go set up the cans again." Duo withdrew his arm and trotted back over to the cans.

The rest of the morning was spent at shooting practice; Quatre gaining back some speed and accuracy, and Duo showing off his innate ability to hit just about any target without looking at it.

It was a month before Quatre was able to go on an assignment, not because he wasn't ready, but because no one was hiring. In the meantime, the two grew closer and closer, so much so, that hardly, if any, secrets were kept from each other.

The client for Quatre's first assignment was a young woman who wanted to get her friend out of prostitution. The girl's pimp had her addicted to a drug that only he could provide her with, which was why the girl hadn't already left. They were meeting the client in a nice little coffee shop run by Duo's friend Hilde. The three sat around one of the circular tables, each sipping on their drinks as she explained the situation.

At the end, Duo shook his head. "Drugs and pimps, that's going to drive the price up"

Quatre frowned but kept his mouth shut. The woman nodded. "I know, I expected it."

"All right, well I'd have to say four grand, plus costs for ammo and gas, and whatever else might crop up."

The woman nodded again and stood up. "Usual form of payment, half and half?"

"Half to begin, half on completion? Of course. We'll have your friend kidnapped and returned to you by the end of the month," Duo answered with a grin. He stood up as well to shake her hand.

"Thank you very much," she said, nodded at Quatre, then took her leave. Duo and Quatre remained quiet until the café's door closed.

Duo sat down again and studied his roommate. "All right, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Wrong?" Quatre returned innocently before taking another sip of his drink. Duo reached over and took his drink so the blonde would focus on him.

"Something's bothering you, what is it?"

"It's just…four thousand? That seems like a lot."

Duo sighed. "I know it does, but look at it this way, we're going to be risking our lives, and in case you hadn't noticed, there's some time in between jobs, so the money's gotta last."

Quatre sighed himself and took his drink back. "I know, you only asked about four months living cost, and logically I know it's reasonable, but…I guess I'm just not used to being a mercenary that's all."

"Not used to charging for good deeds hunh?"

Quatre laughed. "Yeah, kind of"

Duo placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "You're a good guy Quat, you got a good heart. I hope ya keep it despite of your new profession."

Quatre smiled at his friend. "Well, you did"

Duo looked sheepish. "Yeah well, I had a moment of insanity when I took you in."

Quatre shook his head. "So what's the plan?" he asked, slipping into business mode. Shortly after he'd moved in, Duo let him handle all of the expenses, having a much better head for it than the brunette had.

"Well, since the girl won't necessarily want to leave on her own, we're gonna have to probably slip her some knock out drugs so she doesn't fight us. But for getting in, I'm thinking posing as clients? Keep it nice and simple."

Quatre nodded. "You're right, posing as clients would be the easiest way in. But we'll have to do a bit more research on the layout of the building and the clientele demographic."

"Well yeah, but we've got a month."

"Duo, you shouldn't procrastinate on something like this."

"Aww man, you take all the fun out of it."

"Drink your coffee."

AN: I have no real idea about the going prices on mercenary jobs, so I'm just guessing. It'll pick up soon, I promise!


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the plan was fleshed out over the next week as they learned more about their target. The pimp operated out of a small, three-story building six blocks from their apartment. Security was light, four bouncers on the ground floor and a simple ES system that was video only, no sound.

They decided that they would go in together, typical drunken college students celebrating Quatre's birthday. Once alone with Dix, the prostitute, they would slip her a mild tranquilizer, bought from a pharmacist who didn't ask questions. Then they'd escape with her out the window and drive off, hopefully without the pimp or the bouncers realizing it had happened until too late.

Duo parked a block away, and put some beer into a body-scent bottle and spritzed himself and Quatre with it.

"I hope you can act drunk." Duo muttered.

"Hey, I was in every single play my schools ever put on."

"Good enough for me, just don't over do it. Shall we go?"

"After you."

They headed up to the building, laughing and telling jokes, and pushing each other playfully. At the door, a large bouncer stepped in front of them menacingly. "What do you want?"

"Hey chill man!" Duo said and Quatre snickered. "We're just here to have fun! It's my buddy's b-day and I'm-a get him laid!"

"Duo!" Quatre laughed and blushed, shoving at Duo, hoping the bouncer wouldn't notice the guns hidden under their shirts.

"Is that so?" the bouncer crossed his arms and leveled a beady stare at them. Duo nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulled out a $100 bill, which he held out to the bouncer with a grin. The bouncer eyed the crumpled bill, then took it and stepped aside. "Go tell Manny what girl ya want."

"Thanks!" Quatre said brightly as Duo dragged him in. Manny wasn't hard to find, sitting behind a reception desk that took up most of the room inside.

"What girl do you want?"

"K, man, tell him what kinda girl ya want," Duo said, pushing at Quatre's shoulder. Quatre swayed a bit and let his eyes unfocus and his voice get dreamy.

"Hmm, brown hair, green eyes and tits out to here," he said, holding his hands out to indicate a size-able bust.

Duo, not sure whether to gape at his normally oh-so-polite friend or laugh at him, chose instead to lay another hundred on the table. "You got anyone like that?"

Manny casually took the hundred and looked at Duo with new pseudo-respect. "Yeah, I think I do. Anyone for you?"

Duo shook his head and grinned. "Nah, have to show him how it's done, y'know."

"Du-oo!"

Manny pressed a button on the intercom box. "Hey Johnny, two for Dix."

An acknowledgement crackled over the speaker and Duo shelled out two hundred dollars for an hour with Dix.

A few minutes later, a door to their left opened and Johnny beckoned from within. "This way."

"All right! C'mon Quat!"

"Hey, don't pull on me so hard!"

Johnny was silent as he led them up to the third floor. On the way, they saw several women, some standing in the doorway, others in the halls. Most had a haunted look on their face and were either smoking, drinking or sticking needles in their arms. Quatre did his best to avoid looking at them, his stomach twisting at the sight. _No, don't think about it, just focus on getting Dix_.

By the last staircase, Quatre began to whine, trying to stay in-character. "Why's it so far? Stairs suck!"

"It's all for the pussy man, just think about the pussy," Duo said encouragingly.

Quatre had to use all of his acting skills to not blush. It was appalling to think that people actually behaved like this. And the knowledge that Johnny probably thought that Quatre was actually like them was mortifying. The blonde wasn't even sure why he was worrying about it; he certainly wasn't going to see Johnny again after this.

They reached a door at last and Quatre forced his musings aside. _The mission comes first,_ he told himself. Johnny knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" The voice that answered was airy and a little hoarse.

"I've got a couple of customers for ya."

"Oh." There were some rustling sounds, then a clunk and some cursing. "Okay, I'm ready." The door opened and Dix appeared. Her hair was glossy, but loose. Make-up couldn't hide the circles under her eyes, nor the sallow look of her skin. But as far as Quatre could tell, she wasn't actually on any of her drugs right then. She smiled when she spotted Duo and Quatre.

"Oh hey, you're _hot_. That's a relief."

Duo grinned back, as if he dealt with prostitutes all the time. "Hey you're not so bad yourself Sweetie. Right Quatre?"

Quatre swallowed and nodded, looking over Dix's scantily clad body. Soft blue and lacey lingerie that seemed a little too large on her made up her outfit.

"Yeah, beautiful," Quatre said, trying not to stare at her admittedly ample chest.

Dix actually giggled as she took his hand. "Aren't you sweet! C'mere Angel." Her voice became low and inviting.

"Uh…yeah," Quatre replied, feeling his cheeks heat despite his best efforts. He was suddenly struck by a flurry of doubts. What if they couldn't slip her the tranquilizer? What if the tranquilizer didn't act quickly enough and she actually started having sex with him? What if she was on drugs and they reacted with the tranquilizer? What if Johnny spotted their guns?

"Heh, newbie," he heard Duo snicker as his partner pushed on his lower back, making him follow Dix in.

_Snap out of it. You've got a job to do_, he scolded himself firmly, managing to smile at Dix. He heard the door close behind them and felt Duo move after them.

The room itself was fairly bare, with a blue-grey carpet and a pile of mismatched cushions and pillows in the corner instead of a bed. There was another door on their left, which led to a small bathroom. A mini-fridge was near the pile of cushions.

"Well, what do you want to do first, Angel?" Dix asked. Quatre hesitated, then spying the fridge, grinned and asked, "do you have anything to drink?"

Dix frowned. "What do you want a drink for?"

Quatre glanced at Duo, who shrugged minimally. "Umm…well…I-I've always wanted a girl to drink something from my mouth," the blonde finally stammered, feeling heat rising to his cheeks again. Dix looked a little doubtful, but shrugged and went to the fridge, brining out a beer.

"I don't get it, but you're the customer, right?"

While her back was turned, Duo, casually took off his jacket and tossed it over the security camera up in the corner, then handed Quatre the small capsule that held the tranquilizer in it. They didn't need to worry about sound, the system was video only. Dix turned around again and, opening the bottle with a small _hiss_ handed it to Quatre. He accepted it, and just as he began to wonder how he was going to slip the tranquilizer into it, Duo solved it for him.

"Hey Dix, how 'bout helping me get this shirt off, hunh?" the brunette asked, tugging a little on his T-shirt. Dix shrugged again.

"Man, you two like fore-play a lot more than most of the guys that come here."

While her attention was on Duo, Quatre opened his mouth, broke the capsule and let the tranquilizer pool under his tongue, then gathered a decent mouthful of beer, being very careful to not swallow the tranquilizer himself. Then he carefully swished it around till it was all mixed together. He caught Duo's eyes, and nodded.

"Hey, I think he's ready for you now," Duo said suggestively, giving Dix's ass a squeeze and pointing her to Quatre. Dix came over to Quatre, and tilted her face to the side, opening her mouth, waiting for him to begin. Steeling himself, Quatre leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers, then slowly, carefully opening his mouth and shifting the beer and tranquilizer to her mouth. She swallowed as it flowed in, then pulled away with a small face once it was done.

"I need to get different beer, that stuff don't taste right."

Quatre watched her as her eyes glazed over slightly.

"Oh hey, I feel dizzy," she mumbled, closing her eyes, then dropped like a string-less puppet onto the cushions.

"Well shit, that was fast," Duo said, a note of worry in his voice. Quatre knelt down and felt her neck for a pulse.

"Her heartbeat's fine. We should go."

"Right." Duo strode over to the window and opened it, poking his head outside. "Hey, we were right, it is this side with the fire-escape."

"Thank God," Quatre muttered, wrapping Dix up in a blanket. Then he picked her up and cradled her to his chest. She was disturbingly light for a woman her age.

"You ready?" Duo asked. Quatre nodded. Duo swung out onto the fire escape, then waited as Quatre gently passed her through the window to him.

"Got her?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Quatre said, and waited for Duo to shift out of the way before climbing out himself. He then closed the window as best as he could behind him.

"Hey, gotta come in for a sec, somthin's wrong with the electricity," they heard Johnny's gruff voice as he opened the door. He looked puzzled when they weren't in the room, then spotted them at the window. For a moment he and Quatre just blinked at each other, then Duo tugged on Quatre's arm and Quatre began to hastily climb down the fire-escape after him.

The window opened and they heard Johnny, "Get back here you fucks!" And two furious shots whizzed by. Duo, his arms still filled with Dix, swore, and Quatre quickly fired back, hitting Johnny right in the chest. Johnny got off another shot, grazing Quat's arm before he slumped over, finished.

"Quat, hold her for a sec," Duo ordered and the blonde took Dix a little dazedly, then watched as his partner leaped down. With a small cry, Quatre looked over the edge, only to see Duo picking himself up off of a pile of old mattresses.

"Toss her down to me!" The brunette called, holding out his arms. Quatre hestitated, then did as he asked. Quat heard a new voice in the room.

"Johnny what's taking so lo-what the fuck!"

"Quat, jump!"

Quatre leaped over the railing, landed in the mattress' with a bit more force than he was prepared for and momentarily lost his wind. But he climbed up quickly and he and Duo ran for the street. Once there Duo pulled up a hood on his sweatshirt that had been tucked inside, hiding his long hair. He handed Quatre a brown wig, which he put on after removing his jacket and wrapping it around Dix, then quickly wrapped the blanket around her waist as a passable skirt.

Duo and Quatre both shouldered Dix, making it look like they were supporting a drunk friend, and ventured out to their car, going a different way then they came. Quatre put her in the backseat, taking the time to buckle her in while Duo shook his head and started the car. They could see goons from the house combing the streets, but none of them noticed them in their quick disguises.

The blonde slipped into the front seat and they took off, heading for their drop-off point where their client had agreed to meet them. It was a small park, just a open area of grass with a quaint sidewalk through it, nothing more. The client strode over to their car as soon as Duo pulled up and stopped.

"Dix? Is she-?"

"Fine, we have her. She reacted kinda strong to the tranquilizer, you might wanna have her checked out," Duo said, pointing to the backseat. The client glanced back, then seemed to sag in relief.

"I'm so glad."

Duo coughed, getting her attention and held out his hand. "Two grand, plus four hundred for getting in, twenty for a new jacket, thirty for fire-exchange and five for gas," he said.

"Right, of course." The woman nodded and pulled out a small sack, quickly counted through some bills and handed them over. Duo handed them to Quatre, who re-counted them. Satisfied that it was the proper amount, he nodded to Duo who reached back and unlocked the back door.

The woman wasted no time in opening it and reaching in to get her friend.

"Do you want some help?" Quatre asked. She shook her head, gathered Dix up and stood up, toeing the car door shut.

"My car's just over there, I'll be fine. Thanks, again."

"Yeah, no problem," Duo said quietly, watching as the woman walked to her car. They waited until she had safely driven off before heading home themselves.

"How's your arm?" Duo asked quietly, not looking at Quatre.

"...Just a scratch, it's already scabbing over. I won't even need to wrap it."

"We'll still put antibiotic on it when we get home," Duo answered.

They didn't say much else on the way back.

That night, Duo tossed restlessly on his side of the bed, bothered by some reason he didn't know. Then it hit him; Quatre wasn't in bed. Duo sat up and peered around the dark room, catching sight of the blonde staring out the window, sitting on the small ledge, his knees pulled up to his chin.

"Can't sleep?" Duo asked quietly. Quatre jumped slightly, looking at him, then nodded.

"I keep seeing the girls there…how they all seemed beaten down, listless…and I keep thinking that I should've done something to help them."

Duo yawned and got up, shivering in the night air. "You know there wasn't anything we could have done, we were lucky to get away with getting Dix out," he said, walking over to Quatre. The blonde seemed to curl up a bit more.

"I know, but I can't help but think…if only it weren't for the pimp, they wouldn't be there, and I think, it would be so easy to go back there and just shoot the guy keeping them all there."

Duo shook his head. "It wouldn't help. That kind of work is the only way most of those women know how to live. If the pimp died, they'd just go to a new one."

Quatre shivered and hid his face. "It's not fair," he mumbled, sounding on the verge of tears. Duo felt his own eyes water at the sight of his sweet friend crying. "Quat, c'mere," he said softly, taking Quatre's hands and tugging on them. Quatre peeked up at him, then slowly unfolded and stood up. Duo led him to the bed, lay down and drew the blonde into his arms.

"It's impossible to save everyone Quat. So instead of thinking of the women still there, think of Dix and her friend. We saved her right?"

Quatre nodded, curling up into Duo's embrace.

"See? We might not be able to save everyone, but we can save some, and we'll have to be satisfied with that. You're a good guy, I don't want to see you depressed…"

"…I think what bothers me the most, is knowing that if you hadn't come along, I might've ended up like them…"

Duo tightened his hold on the slightly smaller youth. "I'll never let you end up like that."

Quatre looked up at him, blue eyes glistening in the pale light from the window. "Really?"

"Hey, I may run, I may hide, I may even steal, but I never lie," Duo said, giving his friend a smile. It drifted away again as he lifted a hand to brush Quatre's cheek. "You're too beautiful to let that happen to."

"Duo…" Quatre murmured, his voice slightly breathless. Duo realized what he was doing and took his hand away, his usual grin showing on his face.

"So, stop worrying about it, and let's get some sleep, okay?"

Quatre smiled back. "All right but…" rested his head on Duo's chest once more. "Can we stay like this? Just for tonight?"

Duo's heart seemed to forget how to beat for a moment, then started again like a rabbit to make up for it. "Anything you want, Quat," Duo replied, holding the blonde tightly.

Sorry it's taken so long, will put up another chappie right away, got bogged down with finals.


	5. Chapter 5

But it wasn't just that night. Every night after, Quatre would end up curled up against Duo, no matter what position they originally fell asleep in, so Duo had finally just started pulling the blonde to him as soon as they both were in the bed. The brunette was a little surprised at how easy it was to get used to having the blonde lying next to him, to holding him in his arms and he found that he fell asleep much faster when he could feel Quatre's heart beating softly against his side.

They grew closer over the next few months, falling into an easy routine of teasing and friendly wrestling every once in a while, and curling up together to watch movies at night. household chores seperated naturally between the two, Quatre taking over cooking and laundry, Duo continuing garbage duty and maitenence.

Duo could honestly say he hadn't been happier at any other time in his life than this mostly quiet routine with Quatre. Of course, the blonde wasn't just a gentle homemaker, he was a sharp business mind and a crack shot when necessary. Duo had happily let the other teen take over business negotiations once he'd learned the appropriate scaling on payments for their kind of work.

They'd been partners and roomates for just over six months when they were scouted by a man who was being blackmailed with pictures of him with his mistress. They were currently sitting in Hilde's coffee shop getting the full story.

"So who has this incriminating evidence?" Duo inquired, resting his chin on his hand.

"Trieze Kushrinada"

"Of the Oz Mafia!?" Duo demanded, dropping his hand and narrowing his eyes.

"Best friend of Zechs, owner of the Blue Boy Club?" Quatre added.

The client nodded.

"Seven grand," Duo said promptly.

The client blinked. "S-seven? But that's outrageous1"

"Not against a man like Kushrinada," Quatre replied evenly, his smile warm and dangerous. "He has money, connections, and experience as an ex-soldier. That means that not only will his security be tighter, but he'll be more likely to be on the watch for stuff like this, so this means the job will likely be life-threatening, which will, of course, drive the price up." Quatre closed his eyes, smiled innocently and tilted his head to the side cutely.

"You're lucky I don't like Oz, or the price would be ten," Duo added with a grin of his own.

"That's ridiculous!"

"Maybe so. But who else will be even willing to steal from Treize Kushrinada of Oz?" Quatre asked sweetly. "More coffee?"

The client scowled and ignored Quatre's proffered pot. "Fine. 3 grand in advance, the rest only if I get the photos and negatives."

Duo grinned and held out his hand. "Deal."

The client glared at the hand and pointedly turned to Quatre, tossing down a card with a phone-number on it. He then stalked out without another word. Hilde came over with a fresh pot of coffee. "And here I thought you had good people skills Duo."

He held up a finger. "Effective people skills, not good. That's two different things. So Quatre, you up for some shopping tonight?"

Quatre blinked at his friend. "Shopping? What for?"

"For Blue Boy! All you wear is khaki, you can't go clubbing in khaki!" Duo said emphatically, waving his arms about.

"What? But I-"

"He's right," Hilde added, winking at the blonde. "You can't wear khaki to a club like Blue Boy. It's totally a metal-pleather kind of place."

Quatre glared at them. "I am not wearing pleather."

"Oh but you really should! You've got the perfect ass for it," Duo exclaimed. Duo wasn't aware people could actually turn that color, for Quatre was blushing nearly purple.

"I don't see why we have to go to Blue Boy anyway."

"Because-" Duo paused and gave Hilde a meaningful look. She sighed. "I know, I know. I don't know, I can't tell. You two need to start planning your jobs somewhere else," she said and started back to the counter.

"And make our own coffee?" Duo quipped in mock horror. A roll bounced off of his head before she disappeared into the back.

"Hey, free food!" Duo snatched the roll off the floor before it could be "contaminated" and took a bite.

"Duo..." Quatre sighed.

"Oh right. Well, Zechs is Treize's best friend right"

Frowning, Quatre nodded. "And he owns Blue Boy Club. Can you think of anywhere else to look for Trieze? No one knows where the guy is when he's not at Blue Boy. So we have to go scout it out, and you're not gonna make me scout without backup, are you?"

"Of course not, but-"

"And they won't let you in unless you're dressed right," Duo continued triumphantly.

"But, what makes you so sure that the negatives are at the club? Wouldn't Treize keep them in a vault or something?"

Duo paused. "Well, I suppose it's possible, but he's really a man that prefers to keep an eye on things, therefore he keeps things close, and he probably actually keeps them on him...and even if they are in a vault, we'll have to get close to him to find out, don't we?"

Quatre sighed, looking defeated. "I don't want to wear pleather," he moaned.

"Aww c'mon you'll love it. Just leave it to me."  
"I want to hide more skin than I show," the blonde said sternly. Duo just gave him a wink and stood up, grabbing his hand.

"Alrighty then!"

It had been five hours since they had entered the store, and Duo had finally gotten Quatre to actually try a possible outfit on. The brunette was sitting outside the dressing room, waiting for Quatre to emerge.Everything Quatre had picked had been deemed too conservative, while anything Duo suggested was too racy for the smaller youth's comfort.

Gradually they'd begun to compromise, and this time Duo felt like they might have finally got it. Quatre poked his head out of the dressing room, his cheeks slightly red and his eyebrows drawn in pleadingly.

"Do I have to come out?"

Duo sighed. "Look, it covers most of your skin, I don't see what you're hung up on."

"B-but, the pants are so...tight," the blonde whimpered.

"That's the point, now get out here"

Taking a breath, Quatre stepped out. He was clad in tight black pants and semi-formal loose sapphire shirt. He looked good, really sexy...but something was off.

The outfit was suave, sophisticated, sexy, and completely out of place with Quatre's innocent and shy expression.

"Well?" Quatre asked, spreading his arms and blushing lightly.

Duo shook his head, feeling his braid swish comfortably against his back. "No, it doesn't work, it's just not you. We're gonna go in a completely different direction"

Quatre took a deep breath then rubbed at the bridge of his nose as if he was developing a headache. "Duo, it took forever to get this outfit."

"I know, but I can tell you don't really like that one. Just trust me. What I have in mind will look much better, and you'll like it better too."

Quatre studied him sternly for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll give you fifteen minutes to find another outfit, then we're going home. I don't mind shopping, but I'm getting tired."

"Roger, Wilco!" Duo said, throwing a sloppy salute before bounding away and disappearing into the aisles of clothes.

The brunette hummed to himself as he dashed here and there, gathering the parts for the next outfit. He paused at the shirts "White or black?" he wondered, comparing each with the rest of the outfit he'd gathered. "Innocent," he decided, grabbing a shirt that was almost two sizes too small for Quatre.

Double-checking his armload, Duo rushed back towards the dressing rooms, dodging other customers and throwing apologies over his shoulder.

Quatre shook his head and took the bundle of clothes.

"Okay, now this shirt goes on first, and you leave this one unbuttoned," Duo chatted excitedly.

"All right, let me go try it on, okay?"

Duo grinned and let the blonde slip into the dressing room once more.

A few moments later, Quatre poked his head out again. "Are you ready?"

Duo nodded. "C'mon man, I want to bask in the glory of my genius."

"All right," Quatre said and stepped out, spreading his arms to give a full view. Loose tan cargo pants hung on his hips, loops of cloth and chains hanging from various clips. The white undershirt clung tightly to his well-formed chest and was short enough to show a tantalizing glimpse of his belly button. Over this he wore a dark blue silk, short-sleeved button-up shirt. A soft pattern of Celtic knot-work danced over it in slightly lighter-blue embroidery. Duo grinned. This was right. This look of innocence that just begged to be corrupted, this was a look that Quatre pulled off perfectly without even trying.

Duo didn't realize that he'd been staring until he saw Quatre shift and blush.

"You look great. D'you like it?"

Quat smiled. "Well, I can move in it."

Duo reached forward and tugged on the shirt. "What about this? Too tight, too revealing?"

"Uh-no, it's fine. I-I like it."

Duo stood back. "Excellent. We'll go buy that, then we'll go find some accessories."

"Couldn't I just borrow some of yours? I'd like to go home," Quatre said plaintively, looking at Duo with puppyish eyes.

Duo's enthusiasm wilted in the face of such cuteness and he smiled. "Yeah, I've got stuff you can wear. Go change, and then we'll head home."

Quatre smiled in relief.

Back at the apartment Duo began digging through his closet for an outfit to wear to the club the next night. Once he'd decided on it, he set it aside and let Quatre come in to get ready for bed.

"Why didn't you want me to see your outfit, Duo?" he asked as drew off his shirt. Duo let his eyes wander over the nicely toned chest, not too soft, not too musclely, and just perfect for licking whip cream or ice cream off.

"Duo?"

Duo tucked the perverted thoughts away for later perusal and focused his attention on the conversation with Quatre.

"Sorry. I just want it to be a surprise," he said with his customary grin.

Quatre's eyes cleared in understanding and he smiled back. "Oh, all right." The blonde then turned around to take off his pants, leaving him in pair of white boxers.

Duo tried not to stare too obviously at his friend's behind and decided that he should probably get into bed and try to stop thinking like that._ I mean, it's one thing to fantasize, but it's another to think about someone you actually know_, he thought as he slipped under the covers. He grabbed a random manga to read so he wouldn't look at the blonde.

"Do you want me to leave the lights on?" Quatre asked kindly as he gathered up some clothes and put them into the corner that served as their hamper.

Duo set his book down and shook his head. "I was just waiting for you, slowpoke," he teased.

Quatre shook his head, turned off the light and snuggled into his customary place at Duo's side. For a moment Duo was afraid his libido would kick in and make things uncomfortable with his friend's proximity, but to his relief he only felt the usual protective contentment settle over him.

Whee! Off to the obligatory nightclub! See ya there!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I am so sorry about the delay! OMG, two years since the last update, and I left you all on such a terrible stopping point. There's no excuse for this, since what I've just updated has been sitting on my computer for about two years. So, to make up for it, you're getting not one, but seven brand new chapters. After that we're caught up to what I've got written, so I'm not sure when the next update will be. Thanks for the patience of everyone who was reading this.

* * *

The next day Quatre cleaned their guns while Duo gave their beat-up Plymouth a tune-up, just in case they had to get away quickly. Since these tasks were relatively simple for the two youths, they were left with a completely free afternoon until the club opened at seven. The time was spent lounging on their bed, watching movies. Quatre lay relaxed on a pile of pillows while Duo used him in lieu of said pillows. The blonde absently toyed with Duo's hair, as Meir Link patted Charlotte's hair.

Duo shook his head. "Why does she keep offering? He doesn't want to bite you!"

"But he needs to eat, and she's showing her love for him," Quatre protested.

Duo snorted. "Dumb way to show affection. Ain't no one gonna suck _my_ blood out!"

"Hmm…I don't think I'd mind if my lover turned out to be a vampire," Quatre replied, trailing one finger along Duo's neck. Duo snorted again even as he shivered slightly at the touch.

"Didn't know you were masochistic."

"I'm not, I just think that being bitten by a vampire wouldn't hurt that much, it's made more pleasurable by the vampire."

Duo shook his head. "I just don't get it, but you must be right. I don't know how Barnabas gets all the chicks otherwise."

"Barnabas?"

"The vampire from Dark Shadows, kinda ugly but all the girls love him."

Quatre sat up and looked at his friend incredulously. "You watch Dark Shadows?"

Duo blinked innocently at him. "I used to."

Quatre gave him an injured look. "But it's so cheesy!"

Duo grinned. "I know, that's what made it fun. Now hush, I'm trying to watch the movie."  
The blonde shook his head but returned obediently to his spot and they finished the movie with only a few more teasing discussions. The last such interruption ended in an all out tickle-wrestling match, in which Duo pretended to be a vampire and bit at Quatre's neck.

The blonde let out a strangled yelp and proceeded to melt instantly. Duo backed off after a moment and peered down at him in amused wonder. "You really do like being bitten."

Quatre shook his head limply. "I didn't know, I've never been bitten before…"

Duo grinned down at him. "Well, now you know!"

Quatre's reply was cut off by a knock on the door and the two teens went to greet it curiously. Hilde was standing in the hallway with a mischievious smile on her face.

"Hilde? What are you doing here?" Quatre asked.

She chuckled and grabbed his hand. "I'm going to get you ready for your date tonight."

"Why? And it's not a date!" the blonde protested, even as Hilde brushed past Duo, dragging him behind her.

"Of course it is. And you need my help because you are _not_ just going to throw on your clothes and go as is. You need your hair styled and your make-up done-"

Quatre managed to pry her fingers off of his wrist. "I am _not_ wearing make-up."

Hilde gave him a look that said, 'what are you, insane?' "Yes-you-are."

"No-I'm-not. Duo, tell her I'm not."

Duo grinned and handed Hilde Quatre's outfit. "Have fun Hilde."

"I will!"

"Duo!"

"Hey don't worry about it. She knows what she's doing," Duo said, pushing his friend out the door after the girl.

"Do you think his skin is Ivory Coast or Pale Milk?" Hilde called back to Duo.

Quatre gave Duo a withering glare as he was drug from the apartment. "You're sleeping on the floor tonight," he hissed.

"I'll have him ready in fifteen minutes!"

"See ya Quat." Duo waved after them, completely unrepentant. Then he sighed and rubbed his hands together. It was time to get ready. He donned a tight-fitting black shirt with wedges cut out of the shoulders, then soft, black leather pants that took much ass-wiggling to get into, adorned by a studded, leather belt. His boots were thick shin-high things, covered in decorative buckles. He slid his wrist through a stack of silver bangle bracelets and slipped a necklace with an ornate silver cross on over his head, pausing to curse when it caught on his braid.

Then he applied a small amount of glittery-black eyeliner to make his eyes a little more cat-shaped and viola, he was ready for a night on the town! Despite the fact that they were going to be on the job, Duo fully intended on some real clubbing while at Blue boy and he hoped he could get Quatre onto the dance floor.

Flashing a grin at the mirror, Duo mentally complemented himself on his looks and headed over to Hilde's to gather Quatre. Hilde looked him over appreciatively as she let him in. "Nice digs, you sure you're working tonight? You're going to have to beat them off with a stick."

Duo shrugged, grinning smugly. "They'll just have to deal. With a hot little number like Q-man as my date, why would I need anyone else?"

"How romantic," Quatre called out teasingly.

Duo turned to face him and couldn't help but run his eyes over the image his friend presented. Quatre was wearing the outfit they'd picked out, but Hilde had added a few accessories. A hemp, beaded choker adorned his white throat while a matching braclet hung more loosely on his wrist. Shimmer dust sparkeled on his cherub cheeks and collar bone and in his soft blonde hair. If it weren't for the look the blonde was giving him, Quatre would've looked absolutely angelic.

Quatre was staring, he knew he was but he couldn't help it! Duo looked so-_molestable_, it was hard not to. The belt draped over his hips suggestively, and the shirt tantilized with the bare shoulders. Quatre thought of Lestat and smiled. Yes, that's what Duo looked like, a vampire sex-god.

Duo smirked and spread his arms invitingly. "Well?"

"Hilde's right, you're going to have to beat them off," Quatre told his friend.

The braided youth smirked wider and ran his eyes over Quatre again. The blonde had to repress the urge to shudder under the look.

"Speak for yourself Q-man. You'll have every border-line pedophile after you tonight."

Quatre wrinkled his nose and glared at his friend. "Great, just what I've always wanted."

Duo laughed. "That expression isn't helpin', just makes you cuter."

Quatre couldn't argue with that. Cuteness was one of his main weapons, and it was almost disgustingly effective. "Come on, we're going to be late," he said instead, grabbing Duo's hand and leading him towards the door.

On thier way out to the car, he looked over his friend's skin-tight outfit and frowned. "Dare I ask where you're carrying your gun?"

Duo's grin was downright evil as he pressed up against Quatre. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know?" he purred suggestively.

The blonde blushed despite himself and pushed his friend away. "Duo!"

The incorrigable youth laughed and got into the car. "It's in my boot Quat."


	7. Chapter 7

Duo and Quatre had no problems gaining entrance into Blue Boy though the Bouncer eyed them suspiciously, Quatre especially. Duo snickered as Quatre softly complained, "why does everyone assume I'm only sixteen?"

Inside the techno beat throbbed through the floor, making Quatre's very bones hum along. Duo grabbed his hand and headed straight for the dance floor. Quatre thought about protesting, pointing out that they were there to work, not goof off, but he realized that the easiest way to fit in was to act as if they had come merely to dance and have fun.

Besides, the music was beginning to get to him. Since living with Duo, Quatre had discovered that techno, or any kind of music with a steady, rhythmic baseline, had a hypnotic effect on him. It was almost like alchohol, loosening up his reservations, and getting him to go with the flow.

And now in the club, with the music making his bones hum, the effect was intensified and he allowed Duo to take him into the middle of nebulous bodies.

"C'mon Quat, dance!" Duo shouted over the music, taking his own advice.

Easy enough, he was already swaying to the beat and with a shy smile, he began to move.

Duo watched as his friend began to move more, losing himself in the music. At first just swaying, now the blonde was gyrating his hips and arms in a fluid grace. He might not have been the best dancer there, but he sure was attractive eye candy. Especially when his moves turned suggestive, following the lead of the DJ's next song.

Small pale hands skimmed over his body, his eyes half-lidded and his lips parted, a flush spread across his adorable cheeks. Duo stared at him, having never seen this side of Quatre before, and enjoying it far more than he probably should have.

And he wasn't the only one. A girl had been surreptitiously moving closer, the drool practically visible on her pretty chin. Duo moved territorially closer to the blonde and sent her a dangerous smirk along with a raised eyebrow. The girl pretended not to notice, but she soon began moving in a different direction. Okay, so he'd basically just announced Quatre was his to the other dancers, but that suited Duo just fine. It would make their job easier if they weren't beating off suitors at every turn.

Duo was jarred from his thoughts as Quatre bumped into him and he reflexively reached out to catch the blonde. "Oops! Sorry Q!"

The blonde's answer was an absolutely sinful grin as he gazed up through lowered, ash-colored eyelashes. He lifted his arms to wrap them enticingly around Duo's neck. Duo's stomach warbled and he stared down at his friend in surprise. Quatre chuckled and pressed closer, saying, "Come on, you're my date, dance like it."

The brunette blinked at his armful of sultry blonde, then chuckled. "All right, you asked for it," he smirked and pulled Quatre flush against him by his hips and began to grind. Quatre gasped and clutched at him, loosing his rhtym for a moment. His sudden blush was apparent even in the flashing colors and light on the semi-dark dance floor. Duo cocked an eyeborw at him, continuing to rotate his hips. The little blonde's expression went from shocked to determined and he ground back, falling back into the beat of the music.

Quatre breifly wondered if Duo remembered that they had a job to do, then decided he didn't care right then. His friend's body felt so good against him, he was feeling...buzzed was the term for it; buzzed and warm. The DJ blended the song seamlessly into the next one and they continued to dance, almost oblivious to everything but the music and each other. It wasn't until the third new song that Quatre was jolted back to reality.

Because of the way they were dancing, it was only natural for Quatre's body to react in a certain way, but he didn't really notice it until he brushed up against _Duo's_ natrual reaction. It sent a shock through his system and he jumped back with a gasp, frightened by the intesity of the feeling.

When Duo blinked at him in surprise, Quatre felt mortified, both for doing it, and then making such a big deal of it. "I-I'm sorry!"

Duo grinned and shook his head, drawing the blonde back to place a quick kiss to his forehead. "It's probably time to get to work anyway..."

Quatre nodded, looking down at the floor.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm thirsty! Let's go get some drinks, okay?"

"Okay," the blonde agreed readily enough and followed his companion over to the bar. Duo ordered a coke while Quatre settled for some club soda and they sat on some stools with thier drinks. Duo finished his in three gulps while Quatre sipped at his moderately.

Duo looked out over the crowd. "I'm gonna go see where Trieze and Zechs are, you stay here and keep an eye out. Don't accept a drink from anyone."

Quatre rolled his eyes. "I'm not dumb, Duo."

His friend grinned. "I know." He leaned in to press a quick kiss to Quatre's lips. "I'll be right back," and he dissappeared into the crowd, leaving the blonde staring dumbfounded after him.

_That-that was my first kiss..._ he thought in numbed surprise. He looked down into his drink, as if it could give him the answer to the universe. _Did he mean anything by it? Or was he just acting the part?_ he wondered, not quite sure which he wanted it to be.

"A frown like that doesn't belong on a pretty face like yours," a rich, velvety voice murmured into his ear.

Quatre jumped, splashing himself a little with his drink. He stared at the man standing next to him. He looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties, with platinum blonde hair of a length to rival Duo's. He wore a wine-red muscle shirt and tight black leather pants. A chain-link necklace draped around his neck and a black leather wrist-cuff adorned his right wrist.

_It's Zechs Marquise!_ Quatre thought in surprise, staring at the man. When he didn't say anything, Zechs laughed, his cobalt eyes dancing.

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to pick you up. I have a feeling your boyfriend would object, rather forcibly."

Quatre couldn't help but smile at him. He tried to ignore the thrill he felt at the idea that Duo was his boyfriend. "He is a bit protective."

"Is that why you were frowning?"

Quatre blinked. "Oh! No, not at all! It's just...well, it's my first time clubbing," he confessed.

The older blonde quirked an eyebrow, his smirk remeniscent of Duo's. "Oh really? You weren't dancing like it."

Quatre blushed and looked back down into his drink. "I-I got carried away with the music." _I wonder if Treize is here?_

Zechs nodded in understanding. "It is rather empowering. Out of curiousity, where did your boyfriend go?"

"Well...to look for you actually," Quatre said, flashing his best I'm-innocent-please-ravish-me smile.

Zechs leaned against the bar, close enough that Quatre could feel the heat from his body. His smile was dangerously inviting and Quatre felt himself blushing despite himself. "Oh? Dare I ask what two hot young men like yourselves want with me?"

"We want to tie you down and ravage you till you scream," Duo said, stepping out of the crowd like an angel of death.

Zechs laughed. "Somehow I don't believe you."

"I don't lie," Duo replied with a shrug as he stood behind Quatre and wrapped his arms around him, one hand brushing suggestively over the blonde's chest, making him arch and shudder. "But you're right, that's not the primary reason we were looking for you."

Quatre reached back to pinch Duo's leg warningly. _Stop it Duo! How am I supposed to work if you get me all excited!?_

Zechs merely watched them, waiting for Duo to elaborate.

"You see, we were hoping you could get us in to see Trieze."

Zechs' smile remained warm but his eyes turned cold. "And what do you want with Trieze?"

Duo smiled back, his chin resting on Quatre's shoulder. "We're gifts, from Dorothy Catalonia."


	8. Chapter 8

Dorothy Catalonia was owner of an extensive network of love-slaves. She trained each one personally, teaching them how to be submissive in all things, and aggressive when asked to be. In a way, Dorothy was like the pimp that they had rescued Dix from, as they both trafficked in the selling of flesh for pleasure.

But there the similarities ended. For one thing, all the slaves were such willingly. When one wanted to retire, they were given a hefty pension and left to do so in peace. Also, Dorothy was notoriously protective of her pets. Any harm done to them was returned tenfold, in such a ruthless manner that most never dared to test it in the first place.

She was also a close friend of Treize and Zechs. This wouldn't have been the first time she had sent such tokens of her affection, even though none were allowed to stay more than one night.

When Duo had originally suggested that they pose as gifts from the woman, Quatre had protested loudly, blushing the whole time. They'd argued for hours, Duo finally promising that he'd figure out some other reason for them to be looking for Treize.

"We're gifts, from Dorothy Catalonia."

Quatre stiffened in Duo's arms and dug his fingers into Duo's thigh. Duo dug his own fingers slightly into Quatre's chest in response, keeping the blonde from giving anything away. Zechs didn't seem to notice the wordless exchange. Instead his expression became mildly resigned and he sighed. "She never gives up, does she?"

Duo shook his head. "Nope."

"Wait here, I'll go see what Treize wants done with you," Zechs said and left gracefully, disappearing into the crowd in a matter of seconds. As soon as he was gone, Quatre whirled on his friend.

"Duo-!"

"I know, I'm sorry." Duo turned large, miserable eyes on him. "But I couldn't think of any other way to get close enough to Treize to pick his pockets."

Quatre growled and ran a hand through his hair. "Duo, I can't make them believe I'm a sex-slave!" he hissed.

"You weren't having any problems on the dance floor."

Quatre blushed and narrowed his eyes at the brunette. "That was different! I-trust you..."

Duo stepped up and took the blonde into his arms. "Look, I promise I'll get us out of here with the film before anything serious happens."

Quatre buried his face in Duo's shoulder. "I don't know if I can do this..."

"If it gets to be too much, we'll leave."

Quatre sat up and looked at his friend. "But-the job-"

Duo cut him off, placing a finger on his lips. "There'll be other jobs. You're more important to me," he murmured, leaning down to kiss him again. Quatre froze for a moment before melting into the kiss. It felt good, really good. He could tell Duo was as nervous about it as he was. He wasn't sure just how he could tell, but he could. Somehow, knowing that cooled his anger and Quatre wrapped his arms around the brunette comfortingly. He tilted his head to give Duo a better angle to kiss him, which Duo took advantage of with a small moan.

Duo's hands moved from Quatre's arms to cup his head, long fingers burrowing into the soft, golden locks. Quatre pressed closer, surrendering to the comforting haze that was enveloping them both.

The haze dissipated when Zech's rich voice interrupted them. "Treize has agreed to meet with you."

Quatre pulled away from Duo reluctantly, his cheeks flushed and his breathing shallow. Still, he managed to give Zechs a smile, despite the jitters in his stomach.

"All right," Duo purred, sounding convincingly eager. Quatre licked his lips nervously. _Oh, I hope we pull this off._

Duo kept his arm around Quatre's waist as they followed Zechs to a back stairway. He hoped that the film was actually kept on Treize and that he could get it before Quatre was forced to either do something too embarrassing or blow the whole thing. _Oh man, I can't believe I kissed him! 'Course he didn't seem to mind too much…I wonder if it could work? Me n' Quat?_ Startled by the direction his thoughts had turned to, Duo cut them off. He didn't do long term, that only got people hurt. And Quatre wasn't a one time kinda guy. Better off to just stay clear of the whole idea.

But then why had he claimed him on the dance floor? _To protect him from the wolves of the club, that's why_, he told himself. But a small part of him said otherwise.

"Through here please," Zechs directed, shaking Duo from his thoughts. He didn't like the look that the man gave them as they passed through the door he held open. Okay, that wasn't entirely true; he loved it when people found him attractive, especially if they were also attractive. And there was no doubt that Zechs was hot; in fact in other circumstances, Duo would've liked to play all night with the man.

The look Zechs had just given them implied that the tall Adonis would definitely be playing tonight, and that messed up Duo's plans. He had hoped to distract Treize and leave Quatre unmolested. The guy was well versed in a lot of things, but not casual sex, and Duo kind of wanted it to stay that way.

_Stop it, Q-man can take care of himself, you just concentrate on that film._

Beyond the door was a nicely furnished hallway that reminded Duo of a hotel or a fancy office. The carpet was a muted burgundy, thick enough to muffle footsteps, but not too thick, and the walls were a cream-colored stucco accentuated by golden shell-shaped lanterns in-between each doorway. Zechs led them to the last door on the right and again held the door for them.

The room was decorated in dark blues and greys. A sleek glass conference table took up most of the room, seated with quality, black leather office chairs. A couple of potted plants stood in opposite corners and striking renaissance portraits accented the walls. The far wall was one gigantic window that over-looked the dance-floor. Despite that, the music from the club was only a faint heart-beat, barely noticeable in the room. Briefly, Duo wondered how much soundproofing like that had cost.

In one of the chairs by the window sat Treize Kushrenada. A handsome man in his thirties, Treize had caramel hair, fashionably combed back, and an elegant air that belonged more in a rich country club than the dives of Nuevo Los Angeles. His eyes were cat-like, both in shape and in color. His shoulders were broad and he looked strong enough to handle almost any situation. The man was sitting quite relaxed, but Duo got the feeling that he only sat that way because he was confident enough in his own abilities that he didn't need to sit any other way.

He brought to mind a large lion, waiting lazily for its prey to walk right into its paws. Now Duo really wished he'd found a way to leave Quatre out of this mission. The man was dangerous, not to mention a walking wet dream. Zechs might have had better looks, but Treize had the gong fu that appealed to anyone with hormones.

"So you are Dame Catolonia's latest gifts," he greeted politely, smiling at them.

It made Duo extremely nervous, and he dealt with it the only way he knew how; he pretended he wasn't.

"Yep, you ready to unwrap us?" he sent back suggestively, jutting out one hip and putting his hand on it.

Treize chuckled as he stood up. "My, aren't you eager. I don't suppose I could ask your names before we begin? It does make things easier."

"We're yours now, call us what you want," Duo replied, realizing that he and Quatre hadn't come up with any good cover names before they began.

Treize rose an eyebrow. "That's new...and very intriguing. What do you think Zechs? What shall we call these new lovelies?"

"Me?" Zechs was thoughtful for a moment, eyeing them thoroughly. "I believe I would choose Dawn and Dusk."

It was Treize's turn to eye them. "Fine names, alliterative too…but I think not. Dusk brings someone else to mind."

"Ah, yes. Wufei," Zechs agreed sagely. "Of course. Well then…Apollo and Hyacinth?"

Duo was startled when Quatre suddenly laughed, his laughter bright and clear.

"I think I can guess which of us is going to be Hyacinth," he said, smiling at Duo. The brunette frowned in confusion, there was something here he was missing.

Treize smiled as he took Duo's hand and pulled him closer, but his words were directed back to Quatre. "How else would it be, my dear Apollo?"

Quatre laughed again, his smile disturbingly coy. "Shall you be our Adonis and Hades then?" he quipped.

_Greek Gods_, Duo's mind finally clicked, and he joined in the game. "I think the role of Zeus fits him better," he contributed slyly, looking up at the man through his lashes in a practiced sultry look.

Treize's eyes flashed and he lifted Duo's hand to his lips, sealing the dark promise with a kiss. Duo's heart jumped and his wits momentarily fled him. He usually laughed his ass off at romantic gestures like that, especially between two men; but when Treize did it, it was nothing short of erotic and the braided youth was caught off guard.

Quatre struggled to keep his demeanor poised and relaxed, but he was very much aware of Zech's warm body behind him, and while part of him somewhat enjoyed it, most of him was fretting over whether the man would feel the gun in the waistband of Quatre's pants at the small of his back if he pressed any closer.

To his relief Zechs kept his hands on his shoulders, kneading them gently. Quatre's eyes were glued to Duo and Treize. The older man had lifted Duo onto the glass conference table and was standing between his spread legs, kissing him languidly.

Quatre jumped when Zechs blew gently on his ear, then hoped he hadn't done anything out of character. Zechs chuckled lowly and a small burst of heat curled in Quatre's abdomen that he didn't care to think of too closely.

"You seem jumpy, Apollo."

"It's my first time outside the house," Quatre said, hoping that Zechs took the anxiousness in his voice as that of one eager to please.

"Not Hyacinth's though," Zechs observed, a little too closely to his ear than Quatre was comfortable with. And the remark was something Quatre didn't want to acknowledge, but couldn't help. The two brunettes seemed lost in each other and Quatre felt an ache in his chest even as Zech's proximity cause more heat in his stomach.

"Are you jealous love?"

Quatre forced a smile onto his face and he turned his head to press a kiss to Zech's throat. "Jealous? When I have you?"

Duo, though wonderfully distracted by Treize's attentions, had not forgotten the reason they were there and searched Treize with skilled hands under the pretense of caresses. So intent was he on finding the distinctive shape of a film canister or a photo wallet that he barely noticed Treize's hand trailing down is leg towards his calf.

He did, however, notice when the muzzle of his gun, warm from his body, suddenly pressed against his jugular.

"Now, you will tell me your true purpose here," Treize announced, as if he were still talking to a prospective lover.

Quatre froze at Treize's announcement. The angle he was at gave him a poor view of what was going on, but the distinct sound of a gun being cocked and Duo's hissed curses painted a clear enough picture. Zech's hold on him changed from embrace to imprison, and he was walked around till he could see what was going on.

When Duo didn't say anything, Treize repeated, "Why are you here?"

"Why should I tell you?" came Duo's cocky reply and Quatre mentally winced.

"I should think that would be obvious," Treize answered, pushing the gun meaningfully into Duo's jaw. Quatre feared for his friend, but something about the situation was bothering him. Something wasn't quite right, not in place with the threats and insinuations.

Duo swallowed, the action only serving to press the gun further into his flesh. He could see Quatre watching them with a frown on his face and hoped that Q could find a way to bluff his innocence, even if Duo had given his game away. Suddenly, Quatre's face became stony and in a blur, he forced his way out of Zech's grasp, kicked the man's legs out, grabbed him in a choker and pressed his own gun to Zech's temple.

"I believe I can answer your question Treize, with a question of my own. Where's the film," the blonde demanded in a cold voice that shocked Duo. Quatre never sounded like that, even when he was furious. He was a fiery sort, not an icy sort, filled with passion and energy. Treize looked at the blondes with a look of calm detachment, his gun still pressed firmly against Duo. "Film? Dare I ask what you're talking about?"

The smile that graced Quatre's angelic lips sent chills down Duo's spine. It was cold, cruel and calculating, only one of which Duo had ever associated with the blonde. "Come now Treize, we're both intelligent men. It doesn't become you to play coy."

Treize's return smile was lazy. "Ah, you mean the blackmail film for Mr. B. Quite the adventuresome man to send someone after it. How much did he pay you for this?"

"Enough."

They were talking as if the guns didn't even exist, calm, polite, almost genial. Duo wanted to yell at them, to break away, but when he shifted, Treize's hand tightened warningly and the gun pressed closer.

"Enough," Treize echoed, sounding highly amused. "And what if I told you I no longer had the film?"

"Then I'd have to punish you for lying," Quatre returned equably. "A pity though, he is quite handsome," he continued, tracing Zech's jaw line with the barrel of his gun.

Duo's eyes bugged out; staring at the person he thought he knew. This Quatre was just plain evil, and really creepy.

"Yes. So is this one," Treize returned, releasing Duo's shoulder to toy with his braid.

Quatre shrugged. "Beauty is fleeting," he replied, not even glance in Duo's direction, his clear gaze focused solely on Treize.

"How very true. What say you, Beauty? One last kiss?" he asked Duo.

Duo snarled at him, wishing that the man were closer so he could bite his nose off. "Go to fucking hell," was his eloquent reply. Treize laughed, and suddenly, Duo was free, his skin tingling as it awoke from the pressure of the departed gun.

"Ah you both have such spirit. So much so that it should be rewarded."

Treize went over to one of the paintings and pushed it aside to reveal a safe. A fingerprint scan and a password later he dug through a series of files inside before pulling out a plain green photo wallet, which he tossed to a wary Duo, along with the youth's gun. "There, all the prints as well as the negatives. Kindly release my subordinate."

Duo turned to look at Quatre, who released Zechs with a smile. Not the cold one of the past few minutes, but a warm and relieved one.

_An act, it was all an act!_ Duo thought incredulously, not knowing whether to feel relieved or angry. For now he decided to stay relieved. There would be a safer time to be angry later, in privacy.

"A pleasure doing business with you," Quatre said, tilting his head.

Treize smiled warmly and his eyes twinkled. "Oh, no. The pleasure was all mine."

Duo headed for the door, negatives and photos in hand. "Come on, let's go," he said shortly and Quatre frowned for a moment before following hastily. Another moment, and they were gone.

Zechs turned to his lover with a raised eyebrow. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

Treize's smile was the smug smile of the cat that got the cream. "Immensely. Quite the pair, although they must learn to keep the cover up all the time. Quite a touching scene they had after you left," he mused, walking over to the window to watch for the two mercenaries when they got past the stairs.

"Are you going to take the film back?"

"A token chase, my men are instructed to let them go if they become too dangerous. It hardly matters, since Mr. B is kindly providing us with more material as we speak. A pity though, that they weren't from Dorothy. Their teasing has left me in an uncomfortable state." The man sighed.

Zechs smirked and pressed up against him. "Well, let's see if I can change that."

Quatre and Duo moved through the crowd without speaking, hoping to get out of there before Treize changed his mind and sent someone after them. The blonde paused for a moment to glance up at the window. He could see Zechs pressed up against the glass, Treize standing behind him. Both were fully clothes, though by the motion of their hips, they wouldn't remain so for long. Quatre hastily turned away, catching up with Duo, telling himself that no, he wasn't the least bit curious how it would have felt to be between those two dangerous men.


	9. Chapter 9

Duo and Quatre got into their plymouth and started home. The car was quiet and tense, but before Quatre could breach the subjuct, a shot ricochetted off of the passangerside mirror, sending shards sparkling into the night air like fairy dust. Duo swerved violently to dodge the next shot.

"Shit! I knew it was too fucking easy!" Duo shouted, drifting onto a side street. The tires protested shrilly, and the noxious smell of burned rubber filled the car.

Milliseconds later a dark blue sedan drifted after them, bearing down on them like an aircraft carrier. The men inside wore light grey suits and black shirts, the offical 'colors' of Oz.

"I'll get them off of us," Quatre said, unbuckling and turning the safety off on his gun.

"Hang on," Duo said, turning into an alleyway. Their poor plymouth fought inertia on the curve and went up on two wheels, trying desperately not to roll. The sedan followed, remaining firmly on the ground. Once through the turn, it sped up again, its engine an ominous rumble.

Quatre rolled down his window, leaned out carefully and took a shot with his left hand. It buried itself in the fender. He ducked back inside as the two Oz men retaliated. The back window cracked but didn't break. Duo glanced into his rearview mirror and swore, "Bullet proof my ass, I spent five grand on that shit!"

Quatre said nothing, but took another shot at the car. This time it hit the backside of the mirror, making the man duck back inside. Quatre took the gained time to take a little more aim and he shot again, rewarded when there was a loud bang and thier front right tire disentegrated. The sedan swerved back and forth like a loose firehose before the driver lost control and they went careening into some garbage cans. The sedan nose-dived into the pavement and for a moment hung in the air as if doing a handstand. Then physics caught up with it and it fell forward and continued on on its roof. Sparks flashed out like a chinese fountain and then died in the darkness. They were out of sight in mere seconds as Duo skillfully weaved his way through the backstreets. He changed routes a few times, just to make sure there weren't any other cars, and when none showed up, he headed back to the apartment.

Inside, Duo didn't say anything but went directly for the shower, stripping out of his clothes as he went. He turned the water onto hot and just stood there, letting the water run over him, retracing the paths that Treize's fingers had blazed earlier. Duo shivered at the memory. He felt slightly dirty and he had no idea why. It wasn't like Treize was some disgusting creepo; he'd been a really attractive and charismatic guy..._he was touching you in front of Quatre_, a helpful voice supplied. _That's ridiculous_, Duo thought back, working his hair out of his braid so he could wash it. _Why would that upset me? Oh gee, I don't know, maybe because you were acting so- slutty?. You were embarrassed! I was not! You were, you were embarrassed because you wanted _Quatre_ to be the one touching you. And now you've scared him off by acting like that._

"I've scared him off?" Duo said aloud incredulously. "_He's _ the one who went all scary evil corprate guy."

There was a knock on the door and the brunette paused, his hands tangled in his sudsy hair and looked through the glass shower door at the empty bathroom.

"Hey Duo, is spaghetti good for dinner tonight?" Quatre called in.

"Yeah sure," he called back. He waited to continue until he heard Quatre move away from the door.

_Okay, this is ridiculous. End of conversation._ And he managed to finish up his washing without thinking too much.

Dinner was also tense, the only sounds were silverwear clicking against the plates. Duo couldn't stand it, but he also couldn't stand to be the one to break.

Finally, "Duo, what's wrong?"

The brunette stared at his plate for a minute. "Would you have really shot him?"

Quatre sighed and put down his fork and knife to lean forward on his elbows. "Is that what this is about? My bluff?"

"It didn't sound like you were bluffing when you did it."

"That's because it was a _bluff_ Duo. Those tend to not work so well if the other person knows that's what it is," the blonde retorted a little sharper than before.

"Bluffs don't work so well against men like Trieze, they tend to call them."

"I was trying to save your life!" Quatre took a steadying breath. "Don't you trust me?"

"That's the problem!" Duo yelled, slamming his hands down on the table. "You went all evil bastard style and I really thought you meant it and I _still trusted you!_ I wasn't scared and frankly, that scares the shit outta me!"

A hush settled over the kitchen.

"The safety was on," Quatre said at last.

"What?" _The hell had come from?_

"When Trieze had your gun to your head, he had the safety on, I watched him check it. He never intended to shoot you...I think he was testing us."

"Oh." Duo chuckled lightly, but it died out quickly.

Quatre watched his friend for a moment, then stood up. "Come on, let's go to bed," he murmured, guiding the brunette up and into the bedroom. Once in bed he pulled Duo to him and the brunette curled into him gratefully, his breathing a little shakey. Nothing was said save between two hearts that gradually matched thier pace to each other.

"Q?"

"Hmm?"

"Was it...dirty of me? To do those things with Trieze tonight?"

"Why do you ask?"

Duo toyed with a fold in Quatre's shirt. "...I just don't want you to think I'm a slut or something..."

Quatre chuckled softly and nuzzled the top of Duo's head. "I know you're not a slut."

"I've had a few one night stands."

"Well, the other person knew that's what it was, right?"

Duo nodded, still not looking up at him.

"Then it's okay, as long as it's what you both wanted. I don't think I'd have the guts to do a one night stand myself."

There was a pause, then Duo asked, "what about a whole string of nights?" He turned his face up to gaze at friend.

"...is that what you want?" Quatre countered softly.

"yes, no-I don't know. I've..I've never felt this way before."

"Me either."

"Are you scared Q?"

"Terrified."

"Me too. Think we can be scared together?"

"Yes please."

Duo lifted his face once more and Quatre lowered his. They held a gaze too intense for words for a moment before closing the distance and touching lips.

When Duo woke the next morning he felt light, as if he'd just broke the surface of the water for a fresh breath of air. He turned his head to look at Quatre's sleeping face, feeling all warm and glowing from the feel of the blonde's heartbeat under his cheek.

_He said yes, _Duo thought and snuggled closer, resisting the urge to chuckle. Instead he sighed, the warm air making Quatre shift. Grinning, Duo blew gently again. A light, irritated tap on his forehead made him chuckle.

"Morning cutie."

Quatre yawned, then glared sleepily at him. "Cutie?"

"Beautiful? Gorgeous. Lovely, sexy, red-hot mama!" Duo enthused, nuzzling Quatre's chest. The blonde merely snorted and rolled out of bed, despite Duo's protests.

"That does it, you get to make breakfast," the blonde informed him as he headed for the shower.

"What? Why?"

"No one calls me Mama," Quatre said before dissappearing into the bathroom.

"What about Daddy? Ooh, yes Daddy! Harder! faster!" Duo called after him. The only reply was a freezing cold wash cloth flung at his face with deadly accuracy.

The next few weeks passed in a blur as the two slipped into a new routine evolving thier relationship. Then they recieved their next job.

A member of the senate complained that his wife kept sneaking off to enjoy Dorothy's Pleasure Imporium, and he wanted them to find something on her lovers to incriminate them. Quatre was reluctant to agree to the job until the senator agreed to pay them even if they found proof of innocence of the pets. They had a time limit of two months. Each managed to get non-slave jobs at the Imporium, Quatre as a receptionist and Duo as a matience man/bellboy.

It didn't take too long to locate the wife and her regular favorites. Quatre monitored thier rooms on a handheld screen; Duo had installed the cameras during a matinance check.

Quatre was sitting in an empty loby, watching something that was making his cheeks burn when a sharp chin landed on his shoulder.

"Oh wow. Hey, we should try that, though I might use a smaller butt-plug, I don't think my ass would stretch that much."

Quatre jerked away from his boyfriend, glaring at him and hiding the monitor. "Duo!"

"Hey, it's almost break-time, why don't we sneak off to a closet and have some fun of our own?" Duo suggested, nibbling at Quatre's neck. Quatre melted; having his neck bitten was like his off-switch. Then he shook it off and pulled away again.

"We can't, we're not supposed to know each other, remember?"

Duo backed off and pouted. "Pfft, whose stupid idea was that?"

"Yours," Quatre answered with a small grin.

"Yeah, well, the next time I have a brilliant idea, point out how stupid it is. C'mon, Quat this place is driving my nuts nuts! Sooo much sex and I'm not even part of it!"

Quatre found he could only dredge up partial sympathy for the brunette. "You're not the one watching them go at it day in and day out. I might end up with a permanent limp."

The grin that lit up Duo's face was one that sent the shivers Quatre liked so much to run along his spine. "Well we can't have that. Let me help you out a little." He leaned back over and ran his finger along the ridge of Quatre's hard-on teasingly. The blonde smacked the hand away, then turned around and caught Duo in a hungry kiss. After a moment, he pulled back and breathed, "That closet is beginning to sound good."

Duo's reply was cut off by a small buzzer on the desk. The two jumped apart, then glared at the offending blinking light. "Someone's on the way up," Quatre noted.

"Dammit! And I was gonna get some too! Have I ever mentioned I hate people?"

"You should get ready to take thier bags so we don't blow our cover," Quatre said, pushing on Duo's ass to hurry him from behind the desk.

"As soon as this job is over, we're having the fuckfest of the century," Duo grumbled, taking his place by the elevator door. But he had his 'I'm just bursting to serve you' smile on when the door opened. The trio that entered did not look like the Imporium's usual customers, not that there really was such a thing, but even so.

The first was a young woman with long honey colored hair, dressed in a reasonably modest sundress of pale blue and a fashionable white floppy sunhat. There were two men with her, roughly Quatre and Duo's age. One was asian in appearance, with light skin and a deadpan expression. He wore black cargo pants and a white and blue t-shirt. The other was caucasian, tall and slender. He wore tight jeans and an untucked, wine-colored button shirt with the sleeves partially rolled up.

The woman strode up to the desk and considered Quatre for a moment. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'm," he answered.

She smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Releena Marquise. I think you'll find I have a suite in reserve for me. Oh, and could you let Dorothy-dear know that I'm here?"

Quatre smiled winningly. "Of course ma'm. " He got to work on filling out the forms, watching the new arrivals curiously out of the corner of his eye. Relena turned to the men.

"Now, Trowa, Heero, this is a _vacation._ That means you're going to get a room of your own and enjoy yourselves."

The shorter one narrowed his eyes at her. "We're charged with protecting you at all times."

Releena sighed. "Dorothy won't let anything happen to me, Heero, you know that. You two need some time to yourselves."

Heero opened his mouth to protest but Trowa laid a hand on his arm and he looked off to the side with a glower. Trowa smiled gently, his one, visible green eye warm. "Thank you Miss Releena. We'll enjoy ourselves to our fullest."

Startled, Quatre looked up to see Heero send a glare at the taller man, but Quatre sensed a thread of mirth in the asian's look. His curiosity rising even more, Quatre kept his eyes on the trio as he paged the top office.

"Yes?" Dorothy sounded mildly annoyed. Quatre wondered if he'd interrupted something, then decided he didn't really want to know.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Miss Catalonia, but Miss Marquise is here to see you."

"Reena-chan!" Dorothy replied, much warmer in her pleased surprise.

"Hi" Releena singsonged into the mic.

"Come on up. "

Releena giggled and headed for the elevator, followed by Heero and Trowa. Duo paused by the desk with thier luggage.

"Man, if they weren't together," he murmured wistfully.

"You'd still be with me," Quatre reminded him archfully.

Duo flashed him a grin. "And we'd all have fun together," he said impishly, dodging Quatre's swat and catching up to the elevator before the guests got annoyed.

Quatre shook his head and returned to the monitor. The wife was leaving, kissing the two slaves goodbye before she dissappeared from the camera's view. The two slaves returned to the bed, one pausing to fetch a paper-wrapped package from a dresser drawer. Quatre frowned and told the camera to focus in on it, and hit the record button. The slave set it on the bedstand and unwrapped it and Quatre tsked as the slave began to set his rows of cocaine for sniffing.

Quatre glanced around the lobby to make sure no one was there, then picked up his cell phone and called the number thier client had left them.

"You have news?" the older voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Yes senator. One of them at least has a thing for cocaine. I've only got one instance recorded, do you want more?"

"No, no that's all right." the senator sounded gleeful. "This is just what I'd hoped for."

"Then I'll send you a tape tomorrow."

"I'll deposit the payment when I get the tape."

"Understood sir."

Quatre clicked off the phone. "Well...guess Duo and I should put in our two week's notice then."


	10. Chapter 10

Everything went well after that until the tabloids exploded with the expose on Dorothy's Pleasure Emporium. Dorothy was nothing if not a proud woman, and such a blow to her image could only be dealt with in one way. Extermination. A few weeks later the senator was impeached on embezzling allegations and was never heard from in the political world again. The two slaves were out a job and without pension either.

Duo and Quatre also felt Dorothy's wrath. Word had got out on the street that she would not tolerate anyone who did business with them, and Dorothy by herself was scary enough without her connections to Oz to scare off most potential clients. The weeks crept by and Duo and Quatre watched as their bank account slowly dwindled into nothingness, no matter how tightly they budgeted. Hilde's shop wasn't big enough to hire them on, but she helped as much as she could.

So when they got an e-mail with a request for assassination, they didn't immediately delete it as per usual. All the e-mail contained was a location, a name and a price. Quatre refused to take it until he knew more about the target, though Duo argued that that would only get in the way of the job.

"Getting to know him will make us not want to kill him. Quat, I'm all for equal life, but we're gonna be starvin' soon."

"I know there's probably a good reason for him to die," the blonde replied coolly, "otherwise someone wouldn't want to kill him. I just want to know if this will bring vengeful relatives down on our heads."

They wrote back saying they'd consider it on more info. Another e-mail came, telling them of a man who dealt in extortion and threats for a wannabe mafia that had slipped in under Oz's nose.

With this info, Quatre capitulated and the planning commenced. A night of hacking got Quatre into the city's building licensing. From there he found floor plans for the target's building. Then there was the week's servalliance to learn the target's schedule.

Quatre was a little surprised to learn the target was around their age, Asian by the look of it. Duo shrugged the age off; he'd seen more of the streets than Quatre had and knew how fast people had to grow up there. Though by the size of the Asian-styled house, the target had done pretty well for himself.

Because the budget was so tight, Quatre and Duo had to use the only weapons they had, their pistols, which meant breaking and entering and close range. They waited until the target had gone to bed, then another half hour to give him time to fall asleep. A silenced bullet to the head, and they'd be done.

Still Quatre hesitated as they started in.

"Duo, I have a bad feeling about this."

"Quat, now is _not_ the time to start getting cold feet."

"He doesn't _feel_ like someone who needs to be shot," Quatre insisted.

"Well we've already accepted payment. You wanna give it back and go back to one meal of ramen a day?" Duo asked, his temper flaring.

Quatre sighed and shook his head. Duo gave him a final look and they started in, Duo quickly dismantling the alarm system and getting them in through the back door. They crept through the wooden hallways towards the room they'd determined to be the target's bedroom.

They turned a corner and froze, face to face with their target, apparently on his way back from the bathroom.

"Fuck!" Duo snarled and pulled his gun up to fire. The target dove across the hallway into a room and Duo and Quatre gave chase. They ended up in what looked like a study, filled with books. The target wasn't in sight. They crept forward cautiously, but neither of them was prepared when the target body checked Duo, wresting the gun from him. The two grappled while Quatre watched, gun at the ready, not daring to shoot in case he hit Duo. Finally Duo managed to get the target in a kind of headlock.

"Shoot him!" he shouted at Quatre and Quatre raised his gun, ready to do just that.

"By Heaven you'll regret attacking a Chang this way!" the captive yelled, struggling against Duo's hold. Quatre froze.

"C-chang?" Quatre stuttered, his pistol wavering.

"Fuck!" Duo cried, partly in response to the new revelation, and partly due to the fact that his captive's head had bashed harshly into his cheek.

"What do we do?" Quatre asked, looking worriedly at his lover. "The client didn't say anything about him being a Chang!"

"I'm gonna fucking kill that slimy bastard!" Duo growled.

"Are you going to shoot or not, coward!" the Chang snarled, finally breaking free of Duo and smacking the gun out of Quatre's hand before tackling the blonde to the ground. With a sharp yelp, Quatre managed to flip the Chinese youth over him, but landed on the ground too sharply and lost his breath. Chang was on his feet again in an instant, his movements like a panther, smooth and fluid. In his hand was a deadly looking, yet simple knife; Duo had no idea where the man had gotten it, only that it was now headed for his blonde lover on the floor.

"No!" Duo shouted, charging forward to intercept Chang, the knife going deep into his shoulder as he knocked the other man away. Chang let go of the knife, freeing his hands to keep himself from falling too hard. Duo swore and raised his hand to the knife, but didn't pull it out. He still needed his blood _inside_ him, thank you very much.

"Duo!" Quatre gasped, struggling to sit up and look at the brunette.

"I'm fine, what about you?"

"I'll live," Quatre replied, watching the Chinese man warily. Chang was just standing there watching them with intense black eyes. He'd grabbed a traditional Chinese sword off the mantel and now held it defensively in front of him.

"Who are you two?" he demanded.

Duo smirked up at him, ignoring the sharp pain in his shoulder as Quatre gently touched his arm. "Just a couple of street rats tryin' not ta die."

Chang sniffed, his lip curling in a sneer. "Two spineless urchins with no honor, only a love for money."

"That's not true!" Quatre yelled, glaring at the man, seeming to have forgotten the cold steel he held in his hand.

"Quat!" Duo hissed in warning, but the blonde didn't listen.

"You think we wanted to do this!? We've never killed needlessly, and we've never charged more than someone could afford. And we never, _ever_ have done anything that we couldn't justify."

The sword moved then, to rest under Quatre's chin, pressing lightly against his throat. Duo breathed in sharply, swearing that if that blade moved any further, wound or no wound, he'd take the bastard down.

"Justify? What would an urchin like you know of justice? What justified it? The money lining your pockets? The knowledge that they were still willing to pay the price for your service? How did you _justify_ yourself," he said quietly, a low, simmering anger in his voice.

"By knowing that even if we took money for our deeds, we were helping someone improve their life, by saving friends, family or businesses they needed to survive," Quatre responded evenly, not looking away from Chang's black gaze for one instant. The sword pressed a little closer, drawing a thin trickle of blood. Duo snarled, but Quatre held out his hand, motioning his partner still.

"And what about me? How do you justify killing me?"

"Our client lied to us. If we had known you were a Chang…I'm very sorry about all this…"

Chang hesitated before sneering again. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because," Duo said, standing up slowly. "We may run, we may steal, but we _never_ lie."

Violet eyes locked with black, and the sword lowered to the floor, freeing Quatre. "Feh…you don't lie…admirable. But now what am I to do with you? You still tried to kill me, it'd be foolish to just let you go."

Duo shrugged, then cursed as his shoulder rippled with pain. "Well, Changs don't kill needlessly, you think we need to die?"

"...No…however, I do need some bodyguards. If one assassination was attempted, there will be more."

Quatre blinked and stood up warily. "You seemed to do fine on your own…"

"If you hadn't hesitated, I'd be dead. The next assassin will not hesitate."

"Wait, you're saying you want to hire us? We just tried to kill you!" Duo protested, staring at the black-haired youth.

An eyebrow raised, making him look older somehow. "Would you rather live from job to job instead of a secure home and paycheck?"

Duo looked at Quatre, who gazed back. "…it'd be nice to have a constant source of income…"

"…we wouldn't have to worry about inadvertently encroaching on the Chang territory," Duo murmured thoughtfully.

"I'll leave you two to decide while I call the family physician to deal with that. " He nodded at the knife still embedded in Duo's shoulder before striding into an adjacent hallway where they could hear him calling someone on a phone.

"Well Quat, what do you want to do?" Duo asked quietly.

"You're asking me?"

"This affects you just as much as me."

Quatre looked down at the floor for a little while, then back up. "I…I think we should do it. "

"Keep in mind we don't know anything about this guy," Duo said.

Quatre shook his head. "He doesn't feel bad, like I said before…and he's a Chang, they're upholders of justice right?"

"Yeah, _their_ justice."

"Duo…"

Duo sighed. "I know, and you're right of course. I mean, this should be better than sabotaging drug deals, right?"

Quatre smiled at him, making him feel lighter. He'd do just about anything to keep a smile on his lover's face.

"Right."

Chang came back and looked them over patiently. "Do you have an answer?"

Quatre nodded. "We accept your offer, Mr. Chang."

Chang nodded brusquely. "Good, I'm glad. And you may call me Wufei. We're going to be close from now on after all."


	11. Chapter 11

The doctor, a professional yet personable woman of about thirty named Sally Po, arrived within ten minutes. She raised an eyebrow at Duo's wound and looked questioningly at Wufei, who merely stared back at her. With a sigh, she sat down and started seeing to Duo's wound. He hissed at the sanitizer, grunted when the knife was pulled out, and cursed as unitelligibly as Donald Duck when she injected the anesthesia.

"It didn't hit the bone or do any serious damage. You're slipping Wufei," she said with a twinkle in her ice-blue eyes.

He narrowed his own eyes at her. "I wasn't aiming for him, he jumped in the way."

"Hmm Mmm," she replied absently, as if she didn't believe him and began stitching the wound up. "Now, these should be in for 10-14 days. I'll check up on you about a week from now and see how're you're doing. I'm going to give you a brace so you don't move that shoulder too much and avoid getting it wet." Sally slapped his hand when he lifted it to scratch absently at the de-numbing skin. "And don't pick at it either," she added sternly. She showed him how to take the brace on and off.

"Thank you," Quatre told her as she was packing up her supplies. She smiled warmly at him.

"It's my job, I'm glad I could help." Wufei walked her to the door; there she paused and looked at the young man with a concerned expression. "Are you sure about this Wufei? Taking in two strangers hired to kill you as bodyguards? You don't know anything about them!"

"They had the chance to kill me and didn't. They spoke frankly and behaved honorably." He gazed searingly at her, his onyx eyes mesmerizing. "You advocate your 'woman's intuition'. Tell me, what did it tell you about them?"

Sally sighed. "They're nice boys, caught up in someone else's plans. Fine, but I'll be waiting for your call when Meilan finds out about this."

Wufei's expression became a dark scowl, and Sally smiled back, unaffected.

"That--that _brat_ hasn't been able to lay a finger on me in _years_," he asserted tersely.

"Ah, but she just got back from her intensive training. I hear she's greatly improved. _Hao yun_," Sally waved at him, then dissappeared into the night. Wufei scowled after her. What impertinince! No matter what training his fiancé had been through, she would not be good enough to defeat him!

Shaking off the mixed emotions thinking of Meilan always instilled in him, Wufei returned to his new employees. Before he the door to the guestroom, he heard low talking. He paused out of sight to listen in.

"Promise me you won't do anything like that again." The small blonde one, Quatre. His voice was subdued and worried, soft, yet reproachful.

"Sorry, can't do that Q-man." that was Duo, the one with the ridiculously long hair. He sounded awfully cheery for someone who'd been stabbed in the shoulder not half-an-hour ago.

"Duo-"

"I'm not gonna make a promise I'm not gonna be able to keep," Duo's voice gentled, became more serious. "I couldn't let you get hurt."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Duo Maxwell," Quatre clipped out. "Besides, how do you think I feel when you do that?"

"Loved? Cherished? Protected? Honored?" Duo quipped.

There was an irritated, defeated sigh. "Try guilty, concerned, patronized and scared," he replied. There was a moment of silence. "I don't want you to get hurt anymore than you want me to. Just...trust me to take care of myself..."

"I'm sorry...I just did it without thinking. I'll try not to in the future, but I'm not promising."

"That'll do for now."

There was another silence, but this one seemed thicker, more intimate. His conscience warred briefly with his curiousity, and Wufei managed to resist looking around the doorjam. It would not be right, an invasion of privacy. Not that the eavesdropping hadn't been, but that was slightly different. He considered that gathering intelligence on possible threats; he wasn't going to completely trust them right away after all.

Judging that he'd given the two enough time to finish thier little moment, Wufei straightened and entered the room, neutral mask in place. Duo and Quatre were sitting next to each other on the bed. and looked at him with mildly curious expressions.

"I thought that since it was so late, you might spend the night and we could discuss salaries and more permanent arrangements tomorrow. "

Quatre dipped his head in respect. "A reasonable offer. Thank you."

Wufei nodded. "Very well. I will bid you good night and leave you to your own devices." he dipped his own head and left.

As he settled in for sleep, he thought of his clan's reaction to the new bodyguards. There would probably be talk of rash behavior, but no serious reprecussions. Not unless Grandfather Meng found out about thier romantic involvement. While it didn't particularly bother Wufei, the head of the Chang clan was stern and very old fashioned.

Well, that wasn't very likely to happen and passing the thought out of his mind, Wufei drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

The richly furnished room was silent but for the harsh breathing and soft thumping of the mattress against the box-spring. Flesh rocked against flesh, a conversation where words were not only uneccessary, but unwanted. The phone at the bedside rang. The rhythm paused and jade eyes narrowed in irritation, but the other was already answering.

"Yuy."

The motion resumed, Trowa grinding into his lover, smiling slightly when Heero narrowed his own cobalt eyes in warning. Then the eyes fluttered shut and Heero's head fell back when Trowa rubbed against _that_ spot. Trowa watched in amusement as his lover tried to concentrate on what the voice on the other end of the line was saying.

"Hn," Heero finally grunted in affirmation before hanging up. Then he glared at Trowa. Trowa gazed back unconcerned.

"We agreed that our time was _ours_," he reprimanded quietly.

Heero's eyes dropped. "Gomen," he replied quietly.

Trowa just shook his head and dipped his head down to kiss him. "So what did they want?"

"We're being moved back to active Duty. Noin's taking over Releena."

Trowa nodded.

Almost-silence fell over the room once more.

The alley was dark, and a single yellow streetlight flickered on and off at one end. A dark mercedes benz was parked at the other end. A hunched figure darted to the car and got in.

"It didn't work," a low female voice said. The voice reflected the calm of an irritated cat right before it lashed out.

"Chang somehow convinced them to be his bodyguards," the man huffed.

"You made sure they thought you were working on your own?"

The man nodded as if affronted that she suggested otherwise. "I still don't know why Mueller and I couldn't just go off him ourselves."

The woman sighed. "No, you wouldn't, Alex. For this to succeed, the Changs have to make the first move, or Trieze won't let it happen. None of this must actually point to OZ. Now, go make sure that your tracks are covered."

Sullenly, Alex got out of the car. Silencers aren't perfect and the shot still echoed faintly in the alley and his body slumped forward onto the ground. The woman calmly placed the gun down on the passenger seat, reached over and closed the door before starting the benz and casually rolling down the street.

"And that, my dear Alex, is how you cover your tracks."

The morning air was still cool and crisp despite the fact that the sun was already up. The yard was neat and green, the sounds of the city held at bay by the tall hedges. A fountain, truly elegent in its simplicity, burbled in a sedate pond. Three large koi, golden, black and calico in turn, drifted lazily in the water.

Wufei let the serenity wash through him as he went through his morning exercises. Each movement was fluid, yet controlled; the steps to a dance that would cave in your kneecap or dislocate your sternum if they happened to be in the way.

After the last move, Wufei drew back into himself, standing straight, but relaxed in the grass. He turned to face the eyes that had been watching him for the past ten minutes. To his surprise, it was Duo, not Quatre who stood on the back porch silently. If one thing Wufei had learned in the past three days, it was that Duo was not, by nature, a quiet person. Not that he was loud, but he seemed to be allregic to silence and did his best to fill it in any way possible.

Duo smiled at him, a real smile, not the grin he was wanten to flash and get his way. "Coffee's brewing, and I popped some frozen waffles into the toaster. They're probably done by now."

"-thank you," Wufei replied, heading up into the house. Duo followed him in and fished the waffles onto two plates. Quatre was not a morning person and wouldn't be up until ten.

"You loked really good out there. How long have you been training?" Duo asked, slathering his waffles in butter and then drowning them in syrup.

"Since I was three. Every member of the clan learns," Wufei replied, sprinkling cinnamon onto his own waffles.

"Doesn't sound like you enjoy it much," Duo noted before jamming almost half a waffle into his mouth. Wufei shrugged.

"I've always prefered reading. Meilan is the one in love with the martial arts."

Duo cocked his head to the side. "Meffan?" he asked through waffle.

Wufei looked down his nose at his companion. "Really Duo, is it too much to ask that you swallow before you talk?"

The other youth seemed unrepentant, but swallowed anyway before he tried again. "Who's Meilan?"

Wufei sighed. "My fiancé."

Duo snorted and wagged his finger at him. "Try to sound a little more enthusiastic about your true love."

Wufei sniffed. "She is _not_ my 'true love'. It is an arranged marriage to ensure solidarity among the clans."

Duo put his chin in his hands. "How 14th century of you. In my experience, loveless marriages are bad ideas."

Wufei prodded his waffle with a scowl. "We'll see if either of us survive each other long enough to regret it."

"She's that bad hunh?"

"She's an absolute terror," Wufei insisted. But instead the chuckle he was expecting, Duo suddenly shot up from his chair, shouting, "Duck!"

Wufei threw himself sideways and rolled into a crouch. Duo was grappling with a small form dressed all in white, traditional chinese clothing. The lower part of thier face was covered in a white balaclava. In their hand was a short chinese cleaver.

The assassin suddenly became dead weight, pulling Duo down after them. They used the the momentum to fling Duo over them into the wall, knocking down Wufei's favorite calligraphy scroll. They flipped themselves back onto their feet and pulled the balaclava down.

Wufei growled low in his throat, but before he could say anything, Duo was back on his feet, ensaring the assassin in a headlock, gun pressed to thier temple.

"Woman, what do you think you're doing!?" Wufei shouted, striding over to the intruder. She sniffed disdainfully, unconcerned about the cold metal pressing into her skin.

"I hope you don't think you can get away with calling me that once we're married, _airen_." The last was said scornfully, and Wufei straightened in stung pride.

"Married?" Duo asked, plainly startled, though he kept his hold firm on her.

Wufei ignored him. "I'll call you whatever I want as long as you're pulling stupid stunts like this. What were you thinking?"

Her black eyes glittered fiercely at him. "I had heard rumours that my husband to be had hired bodyguards off the street. I was testing them, to insure that you hadn't made a fatal descision. And how dare you call me a terror!?" Meilan broke free of Duo's dumbfounded hold and stalked up to Wufei, prodding him in the chest.

Wufei glared back. "I call anything that interferes regularly with my calm life a terror."

She 'hmphed' and tossed her head to the side. "Well I think you're an obstinate stick in the mud, but I don't call you that."

"You just did," Duo pointed out helpfully. "Waffle?"


End file.
